---
title: "NASA Scientist: We Should Take UFOs as Seriously as Mars Research"
description: "A long-awaited report by Congress’ Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force is set to be released next month. It’s the culmination of several inquiries by lawmakers following reports of unexplained sightings made by military pilots over the last two decades. The topic of UFOs has quickly gone from a total taboo and a punchline in […]"
date: "2021-05-27"
modified: "2021-05-27"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/nasa-scientist-ufos"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Mars"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "aliens"
  - "uaps"
  - "ufos"
  - "unidentified flying object"
---

# NASA Scientist: We Should Take UFOs as Seriously as Mars Research

![NASA planetary scientist Ravi Kopparapu argues that rather what UFOs are, we should first find out how to find out what they are.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/nasa-scientist-ufos.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/amanclos/25894720230" target="\_blank"\>maxime raynal via Flickr/Futurism\</a\>\</em\>*

A [long-awaited report](<https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/05/26/ufo-sightings-why-federal-reports-probably-wont-point-aliens/7426795002/>) by Congress' Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force is set to be released next month — the culmination of years of inquiries by lawmakers and decades of reports of unexplained sightings made by military pilots.

Numerous officials have [raised concerns](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/congress-is-trying-to-force-the-military-to-release-more-ufo-info>) over the sightings, arguing that [adversaries may be behind them](<https://futurism.com/this-theory-could-explain-many-military-ufo-sightings>), invading US airspace without our knowledge.

And now even a NASA scientist is weighing in.

In a [*Washington Post* opinion piece](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/26/we-need-put-science-center-ufo-question/>), planetary scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Ravi Kopparapu argues that rather than starting with the "what" question about UFOs, it would be more effective to start by "asking *how* we can figure out what they are."

"This is where scientists, notably absent from the current UAP conversation, come in," Kopparapu argues. For too long, he says, the topic of UFOs been disregarded as baseless conspiracy, driven by a "vacuum of knowledge that is being filled by unscientific claims thanks to a lack of scientific investigation."

The news comes after [several military pilots](<https://futurism.com/navy-pilot-saw-ufos-every-day>) have discussed strange objects that appeared to [defy the laws of physics](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/former-us-director-national-intelligence-ufos>), traveling without visible means of propulsion at many times the speed of sound.

"It’s a technology that outstrips our arsenal by at least 100 to 1,000 years at the moment," retired US Navy Chief Master-at-Arms Sean Cahill [told *CNN* in a televised interview](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azZ4XAZuVk4>) earlier this month.

That means, if they are indeed adversaries within US borders, that would be bad news.

"We had a massive intelligence failure, and we have an unknown threat that we need to figure out," Christopher Mellon, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for intelligence, told *CNN* during the same interview.

But rather than arming ourselves against a largely invisible threat, according to Kopparapu, we should first figure out how to get a better understanding of what the pilots saw.

He says that we should be treating the UAP reports with the same seriousness as exploring the surface of Mars for signs of life.

"The research has been complex, evidence-based and demanding, pulling in scientists from across disciplines and all around the globe," he writes in his opinion piece. "The same should be true for the exploration of UAP sightings."

To Kopparapu, we simply need more data, from visual, infrared, radar, and other observations with the help of scientists from across the various disciplines. Such a scientific approach could eventually "go a long way toward lifting the taboo in mainstream science."

"Ultimately, understanding UAP is a science problem," he concludes. "We should treat it that way."

**READ MORE:** [Opinion: We’re asking the wrong questions about UFOs](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/26/we-need-put-science-center-ufo-question/>) \[*The Washington Post*\]

**More on UFOs:** *[Astronaut: If You Think UFOs Are Aliens, You’re an Idiot](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronaut-ufos-aliens-idiot>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
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