NASA UAP Independent Study Team
On 9 June 2022 NASA's Science Mission Directorate commissioned an Independent Study Team of 16 outside scientists chaired by astrophysicist David Spergel "to examine UAP from a scientific perspective". The team's brief: "identify how data gathered by civilian government entities, commercial data, and data from other sources can potentially be analyzed to shed light on UAP". Final report published 14 September 2023; concurrently the agency named Dr. Mark McInerney as NASA's first Director of UAP Research.
Mission
NASA's UAP study is anchored in the agency's foundational charter to advance "the search for life elsewhere", but the Independent Study Team's mandate was narrower: "to take a holistic look at how data on UAP can be systematically gathered, analyzed and characterized using NASA's expertise in tools and techniques". The team did not pursue classified data, did not investigate individual sightings, and did not assess any single explanation. It instead recommended a future analytical framework.
Findings (verbatim, NASA UAP Independent Study Report, 2023)
"There is no reason to conclude that existing UAP reports have an extraterrestrial source. However, if we acknowledge that, as with all phenomena, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, the focus of the search for UAP must be on collecting more high-quality, scientifically calibrated data."
"The negative perception surrounding the reporting of UAP poses an obstacle to collecting data on these phenomena. NASA's long-standing public trust… [makes it] crucial to play a prominent role in shifting the conversation about UAP from sensationalism to science."
Roster
16-member panel chaired by David Spergel (Simons Foundation), including: Anamaria Berea (George Mason), Federica Bianco (UDel), Paula Bontempi (URI), Reggie Brothers (Pelosi Group), Jen Buss (Potomac Institute), Nadia Drake (science journalist), Mike Gold (Redwire), David Grinspoon (Planetary Science Institute), Scott Kelly (NASA astronaut, ret.), Matt Mountain (AURA), Warren Randolph (FAA), Walter Scott (Maxar), Joshua Semeter (Boston University), Karlin Toner (FAA), Shelley Wright (UCSD).
What NASA does NOT do
NASA does not classify, investigate, or attribute individual sightings; that role is owned by AARO in the Department of Defense. NASA's contribution is data-pipeline science: instrumentation calibration, AI/ML detection methods, and integrating Earth-observation + space-asset data into a unified UAP analytical framework.