CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — When you hear about UFO’s, what comes to mind? Alien abductions, E.T.s, flying saucers and all sorts of scary stuff?
Well, fear not.
A NASA panel has concluded there is “absolutely no convincing evidence” that we’ve seen them.
It appears the strange sightings may not be goosebump worthy, after all. That is, according to an out-of-this world study conducted by the space agency.
Congress had demanded a report after recent numerous hair-raising sightings by military pilots.
The study included 16 scientists and other experts combing through 800 mysterious reports, collected over decades, of unidentified flying objects. The results were disclosed in the first public meeting on UFOs ever, a year after NASA formed the committee to look into the unexplained sightings.
The panel concluded there wasn’t enough information in the reports to determine what these UFOs, now renamed “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” or UAPs, really are — or if they ever existed.
The panel did find that up to 5 percent of the sightings could not be explained. The vast majority of sightings were attributed to balloons, aircraft or common objects.
“Optical illusions can explain some of this,” said retired astronaut and panel member Scott Kelly.
Stigma seems to discourage folks from stepping up to report UFO encounters. Many are considered crazy. Even the scientists conducting the study faced threats from people who thought it was a waste of time and money. The director of NASA’S Space Science Division said the abuse is disturbing and obstructs the public’s right to knowledge.
Bottom line: According to the NASA panel, as of now, there is no evidence of other-worldly UFO’s. Moving forward, higher-quality data is needed. And the search for UAP’s should continue.
