Workers on scaffolding repaint the NASA logo near the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., May 20, 2020. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
The space agency televised the hourslong hearing featuring an independent panel of experts. The team includes 16 scientists and other experts selected by NASA including retired astronaut Scott Kelly, the first American to spend nearly a year in space.
Several committee members have been subjected to “online abuse” for serving on the team, which detracts from the scientific process, said NASA's Dan Evans, adding that NASA security is dealing with it.
“It’s precisely this rigorous, evidence-based approach that allows one to separate the fact from fiction," Evans said.
The study is a first step in trying to explain mysterious sightings in the sky that NASA calls UAPs, or unidentified aerial phenomena.
The group is looking at what unclassified information is available on the subject and how much more is needed to understand what's going on in the sky, according to astrophysicist David Spergel, the committee's chair who runs the Simons Foundation.
No secret military data are included, such as anything surrounding the suspected spy balloons from China spotted flying over the U.S. earlier this year.
The meeting was held at at NASA headquarters in Washington with the public taking part remotely.
A final report is expected by the end of July.
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NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci has stated that recipients of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine should have gotten two doses, to begin with. An FDA panel had recently recommended that J&J boosters be made available for everyone who received the single dose.
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is delaying its launch date for commercial space flights to Q4 of 2022 following a rescheduled test flight. Shares for the aerospace company fell on the news.
The NIH released findings of a study that say recipients of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may benefit from getting Pfizer or Moderna boosters as the antibody levels from those shots were seen as more robust than from a Johnson & Johnson booster.
"Star Trek" actor William Shatner's voice broke with emotion as he recounted his trip into space on the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket to Jeff Bezos on October 13, 2021.
Energy company Chevron has set a goal to reduce its operational carbon footprint to net zero by 2050. However, the company has not committed to reducing emissions on its gas and oil products.
Google's users will now have extensive greener options. The updated services across platforms will allow users to look for eco-friendly routes in Google Maps, book flights with low carbon emissions, and reduce energy usage at home with Nest thermostats.
