This week, US Congress saw more testimony on what the Pentagon and US Defence knows about UAPs - unidentified aerial phenomenon, as well as aliens.
At the end of 2020, the US approved the COVID spending bill.
The Trump administration, included as part of the bill a rule that required the Pentagon to release all observations and data they had on UAPs, by June 2021, to Congress.
This was after it coming to light that the Pentagon had set up a group to previously study UAPs.
After the data was released, Congress, Defence, and even NASA set up panels to study them.
The data included footage from pilots, military sensors, first-hand observations, and ground-based data.
Various panels did find answers for most of these - from garbage bags floating in the air, to party balloons, and sometimes, just problems with the camera like a lens flare.
If you take an image of the sun, full moon, or a bright light, you will often get a circular reflection elsewhere on the image, sometimes called a ghost image).
Earlier this year, a few members of the US Department of Defence went on record saying that this was not all of the data and, in fact, there was very clear evidence that shows aliens are real. Both in the revelations and testimony this week, these members described programs where the US was recovering alien craft that crashed.
As part of these efforts, the US was working on re-engineering the found technology. But, they did not show any new pictures or data.
They also claimed that part of these recoveries were "biologicals" that were not human.
If we take their testimony as truthful, these reports can still be linked to terrestrial sources. None of this conclusively shows aliens are real and visiting Earth.
In the '70s, the US was developing their new spy planes and stealth technology. Only a small group in Defence knew what this technology was, and most others in the military did not. They looked strange, including on sensors and radar. Eventually, the truth came out.
A similar development happened with drones. It takes years before new technology is ready. While it is happening, they are not going to be open about it - for good reason. And if there is a crash from another country, they often study what was found. This applies even to biological material - there are organic materials used in buildings today - bamboo, hemp, and now fungi for to build very efficient, strong, and lightweight structures.
Regardless, there has been one major change - it broke the stigma a bit about talking about these things. Yes, there will always be things people see in the sky that they cannot explain. However, it does mean it can't be explained - someone most likely can.
If members of US Defence are seeing things they can't explain, they should report it. Especially if these are happening near Defence or military assets - it is part of their job to report these, and they should feel open about it.
Will we one day see clear evidence aliens are visiting us or, at least, the US? Maybe, but, I think its unlikely. However, I think will we get evidence that shows life does exist elsewhere, and the more data we have, the better.
- Brad E. Tucker is an Astrophysicist and Cosmologist at Mt Stromlo Observatory and the National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at the ANU.
