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  5. NASA’s 2023 UAP Study

NASA’s 2023 UAP Study

Release date: 14 September 2023
Commissioned by: NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD)
Study vehicle: Independent Study Team (IST) of 16 outside experts
Core message: UAP require a rigorous, standardized, multi-sensor, open-science data pipeline; without it, science cannot adjudicate competing claims.

Why NASA Entered the UAP Conversation

In June 2022, NASA announced it would convene an Independent Study Team to advise the agency on how NASA could help move UAP inquiry onto a reproducible scientific footing. The team worked only with unclassified information and focused on methods, how to get the right data and how to organize it, not on re-investigating famous cases. The IST’s remit, formalized in NASA’s Terms of Reference, was to inventory what data exist (inside and outside NASA), assess gaps, and recommend a technical roadmap for future collection, curation, and analysis.

On 14 September 2023, NASA published the IST’s final report and, in the same breath, appointed a Director of UAP Research to operationalize a data-first program built on open science, modern analytics, and interagency collaboration. NASA named Mark McInerney to the post, outlining a portfolio that includes building a robust UAP database, coordinating with other agencies, and leveraging AI/ML and space-based observation for anomaly detection.

NASA also clarified what this exercise was not: it was not an adjudication of extraterrestrial origin claims. In public briefings the agency stressed that the available UAP data are incomplete and poorly standardized; no evidence of an extraterrestrial origin emerged from the material considered, while acknowledging that robust, calibrated data are the prerequisite to reach firm conclusions in any direction.

The Team and Its Mandate

NASA’s IST comprised 16 experts drawn from academia, industry, and government (including FAA). Members included chair David Spergel (Simons Foundation), ex-astronaut Scott Kelly, planetary scientist David Grinspoon, AI/data specialists, Earth-observation leaders, and FAA participants, among others. NASA’s Designated Federal Official was Daniel Evans (SMD). Their charge: propose how NASA’s tools, partnerships, and culture of open data could be directed toward high-value, reproducible UAP science.

The report also notes a terminology change made by Congress during the study period, from “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, to reflect that relevant observations may occur in multiple domains (air, space, maritime).

What “Data-First” Means in Practice

NASA’s central finding is blunt: the UAP problem is a data problem. The IST emphasizes that current UAP datasets are often unsuited to science, single-sensor, poorly calibrated, lacking metadata, and not acquired for the purpose of anomaly characterization. That renders many claims untestable or non-reproducible. To fix that, the study lays out concrete steps that prioritize sensor calibration, standardized metadata, multiple measurements, and curated, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) repositories.

The report’s Executive Summary distills the approach:

  • Use NASA’s Earth- and space-observing assets to provide environmental context (atmospheric/oceanic/terrestrial state) where UAP are reported, crucial for discriminating sensor artifacts or meteorological phenomena from truly anomalous events.
  • Leverage commercial remote-sensing constellations (sub- to several-meter imagery) when coincident coverage exists; these systems can directly resolve objects at the relevant spatial scales and provide independent vantage points.
  • Correct today’s deficiencies, poor calibration, missing metadata, no baselines, through a systematic acquisition strategy drawing on NASA’s long experience with standards-compliant data systems.
  • Apply AI/ML methods to well-characterized datasets to sift rare events from vast background streams; AI is valuable only if the data meets scientific standards.
  • Engage the public using modern crowdsourcing, including open-source, smartphone-based apps that capture simultaneous imagery and phone-sensor metadata from multiple observers to triangulate trajectories and estimate velocities.
  • Help AARO stand up a Federal civilian UAP reporting system; there is no standardized national channel today for civilian reports, resulting in sparse, inconsistent data and limited vetting.
  • Harness NASA’s management of the FAA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) a confidential, non-punitive reporting pipeline that already receives ~100,000 reports annually, to build an UAP dataset and to explore how real-time analytics can feed future Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems.

The IST’s Recommendations – Explained

1) Make multi-sensor the default

The IST stresses that multiple, well-calibrated sensors (e.g., optical + IR + radar), observed near-simultaneously, are essential for discriminating parallax, gimbal artifacts, glare, and environmental clutter from genuine dynamics.

2) Require structured metadata bundles

The report highlights the necessity of structured metadata accompanying every observation:

  • Precise timestamps (GPS-disciplined UTC).
  • Observer/platform location and geometry (latitude/longitude/altitude, sensor azimuth/elevation, FOV (field-of-view), platform attitude).
  • Instrument parameters (exposure, gain, mode, calibration version).
  • Environmental context (winds, clouds, astronomical alignment, sea state).
  • Observer narrative (structured, minimizing ambiguity).

3) Use Earth-observing satellites for context rather than primary detection

NASA notes that its satellites rarely have the spatial resolution to detect small UAP, but they are excellent for environmental forensics.

4) Exploit commercial remote sensing for spatial detail

Commercial constellations deliver sub- to several-meter imagery. If matching imagery exists, it can resolve objects at UAP-relevant scales and provide independent confirmation.

5) Bring in NOAA/FAA networks to reduce clutter and add cross-checks

Networks like NEXRAD and GOES help separate meteorology, birds, insects, and chaff from legitimate targets.

6) Leverage SAR and upcoming missions (e.g., NISAR)

The IST singles out Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for its resolving power and Doppler sensitivity.

7) Adopt FAIR data principles and build curated, public repositories

A FAIR, well-documented, open repository is the backbone of scientific progress.

8) Stand up a standardized Federal civilian reporting channel (with AARO)

Today, civilian UAP reporting is fragmented. NASA should assist AARO in building a national reporting system.

9) Use ASRS to seed an aviation-grade UAP dataset

Because ASRS is confidential, widely trusted, and non-punitive, it can be adapted to gather structured flight-deck observations of UAP.

10) Destigmatize reporting

NASA’s participation, and how it participates (transparent process, scientific rigor, public engagement) is itself a tool for improving data volume and fidelity.

11) Invest in public crowdsourcing, smartphones & open source

Open-source smartphone apps that collect synchronized imagery and sensor metadata can create ad hoc multi-baseline systems.

12) Design future Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems with UAP-data hooks

NASA and FAA can integrate UAP-relevant sensors and ML inference into next-gen ATM concepts.

13) Confront the quality gap: instrument characteristics matter

The IST wants lab-measured error rates, models of optical ghosting/glints, and noise source characterization.

A Worked Example in the Report: De-sensationalizing “GoFast”

The IST includes a worked example of the Navy’s “GoFast” video. Using on-screen instrument parameters and trigonometry, the study shows the appearance of extreme speed is mostly parallax from the jet’s motion; the object is cold against the ocean and likely drifting with the wind.

NASA’s Commitments After the Report

In its news release, NASA said the agency will:

  • Centralize UAP communications, resources, and data analytics under a Director of UAP Research.
  • Leverage AI/ML and space-based observation for anomaly detection.
  • Engage the public and commercial pilots to broaden the dataset and destigmatize reporting.

NASA also held a public meeting on 31 May 2023 where IST members previewed themes: better data, transparent methods, and how NASA can add value without duplicating Defense Department roles.

Implications for Future Data Collection

  • Structured Metadata Requirements: Every UAP report should include precise timestamps, geolocation, instrument state, environmental context, and observer input.
  • Two-Tier Collection Strategy: Always-on context data plus event-driven follow-up with commercial or ground-based assets.
  • Crowdsourcing with Rigor: NASA-branded apps to collect multi-sensor data with triangulation and privacy protections.
  • Aviation-Focused Reporting: Extend ASRS to include structured UAP fields.
  • FAIR Repository: Open, curated, public archives with reproducible analysis pipelines.
  • SAR Doppler Validation: Use missions like NISAR to test acceleration claims.
  • Follow-up Discovery Network: Adapt astrophysical alert networks to coordinate UAP data collection.

Bottom Line

NASA’s Independent Study Team reframed UAP inquiry as a data-engineering and standards problem. Until the right data are collected, in the right way, no strong claim, mundane or extraordinary, can be settled. The report gives the UAP community a practical playbook:

  • Build a federal reporting pipeline.
  • Instrument it with calibrated sensors and rich metadata.
  • Fuse Earth-observing context, national sensor networks, and commercial remote sensing.
  • Share data in FAIR repositories.
  • Use AI/ML on reliable datasets.
  • Reduce stigma by modeling open science.

If implemented, this data-first posture will resolve many ambiguous sightings, clarify what remains anomalous, and finally give both skeptics and proponents a common evidentiary language.

References

Claims Taxonomy

  • Verified
    NASA published the Independent Study Team Final Report on September 14, 2023.
    NASA established a Director of UAP Research position and outlined plans to centralize UAP data resources, leverage AI/ML, and engage the public.
    The IST’s key recommendations include: multi-sensor acquisition; structured metadata with calibration; FAIR repositories; public crowdsourcing via open-source smartphone tools; support to AARO for a civilian reporting system; and use of ASRS to capture structured aviation observations.
    The report’s worked example shows how instrument-informed modeling (e.g., the “GoFast” video) can reduce seemingly extraordinary motion to conventional explanations like parallax when geometry and wind are accounted for.
  • Probable
    Implementing a standardized Federal civilian reporting channel (with AARO) and extending ASRS schemas will improve the volume and quality of pilot/controller reports, increasing resolution rates for non-anomalous cases.
    Systematic pairing of UAP reports with Earth-observing context (GOES, NEXRAD, ocean/atmospheric products) and commercial remote-sensing will resolve a significant fraction of cases, leaving a smaller residual set for deep study.
  • Disputed
    Some public commentators dispute NASA’s statement that the reviewed data provide no evidence of extraterrestrial origin; NASA attributes this to data quality/availability rather than a final ontological claim.
    The practical utility of space-based assets for small-object detection is debated; NASA emphasizes their value for environmental context, not primary detection.
  • Legend
    Not applicable. The IST focused on data systems and methods, not cultural narratives.
  • Misidentification
    The IST highlights that sensor geometry, glare, and parallax can mimic extreme kinematics; rigorous calibration and multi-sensor corroboration are required to avoid false anomalies. Note: Pilots in the cockpit and some scientists contested this misidentification label by NASA (Washington Examiner).

Speculation Labels

  • Hypothesis: A federated crowdsourcing pipeline (open-source smartphone app + standardized ingestion + ASRS extensions) will markedly raise the proportion of resolvable UAP by enabling multi-baseline triangulation and rapid, robotized follow-up while events persist. Future integration of SAR (e.g., NISAR) and multi-sensor tasking will allow testing of extreme acceleration claims.
  • Witness Interpretation: Professional aviators may describe intelligent control based on cockpit perception; under a data-first regime, such impressions are systematically paired with instrument traces and environmental context for adjudication.
  • Researcher Opinion: Establishing FAIR repositories, defining and enforcing structured metadata requirements (timestamps, geometry, instrument state, calibration, and context) and publishing reproducible analysis pipelines will do more to advance UAP science than any single high-profile video.

SEO keywords

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