UAP Independent Study Team Final Report

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metadata and are not optimized for systematic scientific analysis. Here, NASA
– with its world-leading expertise in curation, archiving, and distribution of large
volumes of data – can play a key role. NASA’s adherence to FAIR (Findability,
Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) data principles when generating
curated data repositories enables both scientists and citizen scientists to
conduct data-mining and meaningful analysis. In addition, due to the absence
of a comprehensive system for gathering civilian UAP reports, there are incon-
sistencies in how data is collected, processed, and curated. The application
of NASA’s rigor to UAP data protocols will ultimately be essential for a detailed
understanding of these phenomena.
The U.S. commercial remote-sensing industry offers a potent mix of Earth-
observing sensors that have the collective potential to directly resolve UAP
events. For instance, commercial satellite constellations provide imagery at
sub- to several-meter spatial resolution, which is well-matched to the typical
spatial scales of known UAP. In addition, the high temporal cadence offered by
commercial remote-sensing networks can substantially increase the likelihood
of providing retroactive coverage of UAP events that are initially observed via
other means. The limitation on this data is that at any given time most of the
Earth’s surface is not covered by commercial satellites at high resolution — for
a particular UAP event, we will need to be fortunate to obtain high-resolution
observations from space.
Beyond this, the panel applauds the efforts undertaken in the private sector and
U.S. academic community to employ one or more inexpensive ground-based
sensors that are capable of surveying large areas of the sky. Such sensors,
which could potentially be rapidly deployed to areas of known UAP activity may
play a key role in establishing so-called “pattern-of-activity” trends, as well as
potentially the physical characteristics of UAP themselves.
South Asian Object (Image 1)
Footage taken by an MQ-9 of an unidentified object in South Asia with an apparent
atmospheric wake or cavitation, later assessed as a likely commercial aircraft by the
All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. The cavitation is likely a sensor artifact resulting
from video compression.
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
What types of scientific data currently collected and held by non-profits and
companies should be synthesized and analyzed to potentially shed light on
the nature and origins of UAP?
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FINDING
The U.S. commercial remote-sensing
industry offers a potent mix of Earth-
observing sensors that have the collective
potential to directly resolve UAP events.