It’s one small step for NASA…that could, possibly, lead to a giant leap for mankind

NASA’s finest moment was the first Apollo Moon landing on 20th July 1969. Since those early pioneering days, the US space agency has become overcautious and bureaucratic, resulting in go-slow programs that cost a fortune. Understandably, NASA has been called timid, lacking in vision.

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on 28th January 1986 didn’t help. The catastrophic failure of O-ring seals was preventable. The subsequent public inquiry would probably have been a whitewash were it not for Richard Feynman’s involvement, who diligently pushed to unearth the truth. This was brilliantly portrayed in the BBC’s The Challenger Disaster which is a must-watch if you haven’t already seen it. (The film is available on YouTube within the UK, but not necessarily if you are located in other countries. Hopefully, you can all find an alternative way to see it.)

Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator (Credit: NASA)

NASA has historically been wary, to say the least, of being linked in any way with sightings of UFOs or little green men. Academic science, in general, has likewise fallen foul of a widespread stigma or taboo associated with the possibility of extraterrestrial visitation. This recently changed when Bill Nelson was appointed as NASA Administrator. Bill was previously a Senator, who had earlier travelled to space aboard Columbia - coincidentally, the Space Shuttle mission immediately before the Challenger disaster. As a Senator, he saw the classified UAP Task Force report and was briefed by US Navy pilots who had encountered unknown craft, which made an impact: “The hair stood up on the back of my neck.” After being appointed as head of NASA, he further stated: “Who am I to say that planet Earth is the only location of a lifeform that is civilised?”

Two days ago, NASA announced it was commissioning a team to investigate “observations of events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena”. It will be a nine-month study, beginning this coming fall/autumn. NASA have outlined that: “The study will focus on identifying available data, how best to collect future data, and how NASA can use that data to move the scientific understanding of UAPs forward.”

“NASA believes that the tools of scientific discovery are powerful and apply here also,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the Associate Administrator for Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We have access to a broad range of observations of Earth from space – and that is the lifeblood of scientific inquiry. We have the tools and team who can help us improve our understanding of the unknown. That’s the very definition of what science is. That’s what we do.”

Whereas it is encouraging that NASA has finally taken this small step forward in seemingly demonstrating a willingness to look at UAP, there appears to still be some lingering effect from the UFO stigma. The pronouncement that “There is no evidence that UAP are extraterrestrial in origin” is a premature and therefore baffling statement, unless its purpose is to signal distancing or disassociation.

At the same time, there are clear indications of boldness behind this forthcoming NASA study. Thomas Zurbuchen has acknowledged the “reputational risk” associated with studying UAPs: “In a traditional type of science environment, talking about some of these issues may be considered selling out or not actual science. I really vehemently oppose that.” He sides with the eight out of ten scientists who think the agency is not doing enough high-risk/high-impact research, which amounts to a miserly 3% of their endeavours, stating that “My gut feeling is that it should be bigger.”

Flipping back to another possible negative, the funding is meagre: up to, but not more than, $100,000. (NASA’s budget for 2022 is $24 billion and $26 billion for 2023.) This tiny amount, relatively speaking, cannot hope to achieve much.

NASA might possibly be positioning themselves to do a quick and minimal “study” so as to exclude themselves from any additional involvement in trying to figure out the exact nature and origin(s) of UAP. The US Air Force did this in the 1960s with Project Blue Book, plus the biased and dismissive Condon Report, so the tactic is a tried and tested means of shirking any ongoing genuine responsibility when faced with a challenging unknown. Exercises in dismissal provide something to hide behind and to thereafter quote ad nauseam. Cliques exist within all large institutions, each with differing agendas, vying for influence and power.

A more positive angle on what’s being proposed is that Bill Nelson’s open-minded enthusiasm is making inroads, with Thomas Zurbuchen and others getting onboard. After all, our planet’s predominant space agency should be investigating what might be craft from elsewhere. Could this small step for NASA lead to something bigger - and eventually to a great leap for mankind?

Written by Iain Scott & Victoria de las Heras, 11th June 2022