MOSCOW, June 13, Zakhar Andreev. In the US, it seems that they have seriously decided to deal with the problem of incomprehensible flying objects. The military and scientists took over the investigations. They promise not to hide anything. But there are many questions about the information they share.
Unidentified, but not a UFO
In June, NASA held a open meetingon the so-called unidentified anomalous phenomena (unidentified anomalous phenomena, UAP). The term was coined at the Pentagon in 2020 to replace the traditional UFO. UAP refers to observed objects «that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena.»
This is taken seriously in Washington. Discussing in Congress — including in closed mode.
Biden instructedcreate an appropriate interdepartmental group. The scientific part was entrusted to the space agency. A special commission was established there. In order not to indulge the conspiracy theorists, everything is done as transparently as possible.
The last meeting was broadcast on the Web. One of the most interesting moments was a speech by Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the Office of Anomaly Resolution at the US Department of Defense.
He showed two videos. The first was filmed by an MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone «somewhere in the Middle East» in 2022. In the footage, something that looks like a metal sphere flies right under the drone. No engine signs. It doesn't look like a Chinese balloon.
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According to Kirkpatrick, such objects have been seen around the world. This is the most common type of UAP.
«The object did not demonstrate any mysterious technical capabilities and did not threaten air safety,» the speaker clarified. «But we no longer have any data on what it is.» .
The War Department thinks the UAP is real. That is, this is not a device error or an optical illusion.
It's been on The Simpsons before.
Kirkpatrick gave another example. The crew of the Orion patrol aircraft in the western United States noticed three dots that moved synchronously from side to side. We were moving abnormally fast. The pilots tried to intercept the object, but did not catch up.
The investigation showed that the points were much further than the pilots thought. Later, after comparing various data, the experts guessed that it was a civilian plane that was landing.
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NASA UAP Panel Chairman David Spergel mentioned other curious cases. So, scientists in Australia have recorded strange, unlike bursts of radio waves at certain times of the day. Reason: employees turn on a lot of microwaves at lunchtime.
Former astronaut and experienced pilot Scott Kelly shared this story. He flew the plane with a partner, and he said that their aircraft had just flown next to a UFO. Kelly didn't see anything, they turned around and looked again. «It was a balloon in the form of Bart Simpson,» the pilot concluded.
UFOs are not shameful
Ufology originated in the United States after World War II. An important part of quasi-science is the belief in secret military bases where the Pentagon supposedly hides aliens or flying saucers. It has entered popular culture. Urban legends like the «Roswell Incident» or «Area 51» are not dealt with by specialists.
However, «very strange things» do happen. In the year before last report of the US military — information about 143 encounters with unidentified objects, which could not be explained.
NASA states: «Currently, the limited quality of UAP observations does not allow us to draw scientific conclusions about the nature of such events.»
Due to the stigmatization of the issue, the space agency points out, civil aviation pilots rarely report UFOs. They are afraid of being laughed at. As a result, science loses important information.
«One of our goals is to get rid of stigma,» the head of the UAP team emphasized.
By the way, the abbreviation «UFO» was rejected, including for this reason.