{"type":"programs","slug":"nasa-uap-study-team","title":"NASA UAP Study Team","url":"https://disclosdex.com/programs/nasa-uap-study-team","description":"NASA commission formed in 2022 to analyze unidentified aerial phenomena data for scientific evaluation","date":"2022-10-20T00:00:00.000Z","tags":["UAP Task Force"],"updated":"2025-06-13T13:26:43.000Z","connectionCount":19,"content":{"markdown":"## Establishing the Study\n\nNASA assembled a panel of scientists in 2022 to review available civilian and military UAP data.[^1]\n\n## Report and Follow-Up\n\nThe [team delivered recommendations](/documents/2023-nasa-uap-study-report) in September 2023 urging standardized data collection and more open collaboration. [^2][^3][^4][^5]\n\n## Team\n\n**David Spergel**\n_President, Simons Foundation_\nLed NASA's independent UAP study as chair and founded the Flatiron Institute for Computational Astrophysics. A MacArthur Fellow who established the standard model of cosmology through measurements of the universe's age, shape, and composition.\n\n**Anamaria Berea**\n_Associate Professor, George Mason University_\nResearch investigator focused on communication patterns in complex living systems and data science applications in astrobiology. Specializes in computational methods for analyzing biosignatures and technosignatures as a SETI Institute affiliate.\n\n**Federica Bianco**\n_Professor, University of Delaware_\nCross-disciplinary scientist studying the universe through data science and urban solutions. Deputy Project Scientist for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory with over 100 peer-reviewed publications.\n\n**Paula Bontempi**\n_Dean, Graduate School of Oceanography at URI_\nBiological oceanographer with 25 years of experience and former NASA Earth Science Division acting deputy director. Led NASA's research on ocean biology and marine science satellite missions.\n\n**Reggie Brothers**\n_Operating Partner, AE Industrial Partners_\nFormer CEO of BigBear.ai and undersecretary for Science and Technology at DHS. Served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Distinguished Fellow at Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technology.\n\n**Jen Buss**\n_CEO, Potomac Institute of Policy Studies_\nNational authority on science and technology trends analysis and policy solutions. Worked extensively with NASA on policy issues for astronaut medical care and cancer research.\n\n**Nadia Drake**\n_Contributing Writer, National Geographic_\nAward-winning science journalist specializing in astronomy and planetary sciences. Holds a doctorate in genetics from Cornell University and has received multiple prestigious astronomy journalism awards.\n\n**Mike Gold**\n_Executive Vice President, Redwire_\nFormer NASA associate administrator who led the creation of the Artemis Accords and lunar Gateway agreements. Awarded NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal and chaired the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee.\n\n**David Grinspoon**\n_Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute_\nResearch focuses on comparative planetology and climate evolution on Earth-like planets. Awarded the Carl Sagan Medal and serves on multiple interplanetary spacecraft mission teams.\n\n**Scott Kelly**\n_Former NASA Astronaut_\nCommanded multiple International Space Station expeditions and set records for accumulated days in space. Former test pilot and U.S. Navy captain who pioneered F-14 digital flight control systems.\n\n**Matt Mountain**\n_President, Association of Universities for Research and Astronomy_\nOversees a consortium managing major NASA observatories including Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope. Serves as Webb telescope scientist and former director of multiple major observatories.\n\n**Warren Randolph**\n_Deputy Executive Director, FAA Aviation Safety_\nLeads implementation of safety management systems and data-driven assessment of aviation risks. Former aerodynamicist for U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force flight simulations.\n\n**Walter Scott**\n_Executive Vice President and CTO, Maxar_\nFounded DigitalGlobe and leads technology strategy for space-based earth intelligence systems. Recognized leader in space commerce and former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory executive.\n\n**Joshua Semeter**\n_Professor, Boston University_\nDirects the Center for Space Physics researching Earth's ionosphere-space environment interactions. Develops optical and magnetic sensor technologies for space environment analysis.\n\n**Karlin Toner**\n_Acting Executive Director, FAA Office of Aviation Policy_\nLed FAA's international strategy and managed threats to civil aviation. Former NASA Airspace Systems Program director and recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.\n\n**Shelley Wright**\n_Associate Professor, UC San Diego_\nSETI researcher specializing in galaxies and supermassive black holes. Leads the UC San Diego Optical Infrared Laboratory developing advanced telescope instruments.\n\n## Mission Requirements Analysis\n\nTo convert unidentified aerial phenomena into well-characterised data, a study team needs at minimum:\n\n**Sensor & Calibration Science**\nRadar, optical, infrared, RF, ADS-B, and satellite imagery expertise for reliable data collection.\n\n**Advanced Data & Signal Analytics**\nAnomaly detection, Bayesian inference, AI/ML, and data fusion capabilities for processing complex datasets.\n\n**Aerospace Flight Physics**\nDeep knowledge of aerodynamics, propulsion, materials, and electronic-warfare signatures.\n\n**Environmental Context**\nUnderstanding of atmospheric optics, ionospheric effects, meteorology, and space weather.\n\n**Human Factors**\nExpertise in perception, cognition, eyewitness reliability, and cockpit workload analysis.\n\n**Operational Intelligence**\nCapabilities in threat assessment, counter-UAS, adversary capabilities, and security clearance management.\n\n**Governance & Policy**\nExperience with reporting standards, inter-agency coordination, data-rights, and international norms.\n\n## Team Composition Evaluation\n\n### Current Strengths\n\n| **Domain**                              | **Key Team Members & Strengths**                                                                                                                                                                        |\n| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Sensor & Calibration (High)             | Semeter (radar, ionosphere), Wright (optical SETI hardware), Scott (commercial satellites), Bontempi (multisensor ocean remote sensing), Randolph (ADS-B & SMS), Mountain (space-telescope calibration) |\n| Advanced Data & Signal Analytics (High) | Spergel (CMB extraction), Berea (information theory), Bianco (petabyte-scale alert brokering)                                                                                                           |\n| Aerospace Flight Physics (Moderate)     | Kelly (operational flight test), Brothers (DoD R&D radar cross-section), Toner & Randolph (FAA systems), Scott (satellite bus engineering)                                                              |\n| Governance & Policy (High)              | Gold (Artemis Accords), Buss (biomedical policy), Brothers (DHS, DoD experience), Toner (ICAO/FAA expertise)                                                                                            |\n| Operational Intelligence (Partial)      | Brothers (classified ISR experience), Kelly (military navigation perspective)                                                                                                                           |\n| Environmental Context (Partial)         | Semeter (ionosphere expertise), Bontempi (ocean optics)                                                                                                                                                 |\n| Human Factors (Low)                     | Drake (science journalism, witness-interview skill; lacks formal cognitive-science training)                                                                                                            |\n\nThe current NASA UAP Study Team demonstrates strong coverage in sensor and calibration science, advanced data analytics, and governance and policy, with multiple members bringing deep expertise in these areas. Aerospace flight physics is moderately represented, while operational intelligence and environmental context have partial coverage. Human factors expertise is limited, with only informal experience in witness interviewing and no formal cognitive science background. This distribution highlights the team's technical and policy strengths, while also indicating areas where additional expertise could further enhance the team's ability to analyze and interpret UAP data.\n\n### Identified Gaps\n\n**Atmospheric & Meteorological Optics**\nMany sightings involve mis-identified meteors, bolides, sprites, mirages, or sensor artifacts linked to boundary-layer physics. The team would benefit from a dedicated atmospheric-physics or meteorology researcher from NCAR or NOAA.\n\n**Electronic Warfare / RF Counter-UAS**\nModern UAP reports often resolve to adversary drones or spoofed RF signatures. The team lacks specialists in EW, L-band/S-band seeker phenomenology, or directed-energy test instrumentation.\n\n**Human Perception & Cognitive Bias**\nPilot testimonies and visual sightings depend heavily on motion parallax, brightness constancy and stress-induced perception. A cognitive psychologist or vision-science expert would strengthen the team.\n\n**Machine Learning at Scale**\nWhile the team includes data scientists, it lacks engineers experienced in deploying neural pipelines on streaming sensor stacks comparable to NORAD's cross-domain feeds.\n\n**Foreign Aerospace Threat Analysis**\nThe team would benefit from DIA or ONI veterans versed in hypersonic, drone-swarm, and balloon programs for enhanced provenance assessments.\n\n**Acoustic / Infrasound Sensing**\nSome events produce non-electromagnetic signatures. The team lacks specialists in infrasound or acoustic detection networks.\n\n### Recommended Additional Expertise\n\nTo further strengthen the team, it would be valuable to add expertise in several key areas. This includes a senior atmospheric scientist with experience modeling upper-tropospheric and lower-stratospheric light propagation, as well as a cognitive psychologist who specializes in aviation vision.\n\nThe addition of an electronic warfare engineer with operational military experience would address gaps in understanding adversary technologies, while a large-scale machine learning platform architect—ideally with a background in programs like NORAD Pathfinder or similar command and control initiatives—would enhance the team's data analysis capabilities.\n\nBringing in an analyst from the Defense Intelligence Agency or Office of Naval Intelligence who focuses on adversary hypersonic and drone signatures would improve threat assessment.\n\nAn infrasound network scientist from organizations such as NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Lab would contribute valuable knowledge in detecting non-electromagnetic signatures.\n\n[^1]: [NASA UAP Team Announcement](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-announces-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-study-team-members/)\n\n[^2]: [NASA UAP Study Report](https://science.nasa.gov/uap)\n\n[^3]: [NASA UAP Independent Study Team Final Report](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uap-independent-study-team-final-report.pdf)\n\n[^4]: [NASA: UAP Independent Study Report Release](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/update-nasa-shares-uap-independent-study-report-names-director/)\n\n[^5]: [NASA Science: UAP Independent Study](https://science.nasa.gov/uap/)","readingTime":"7 min read"},"relatedRecords":[{"ref":{"type":"documents","slug":"2023-nasa-uap-study-report","title":"2023 NASA UAP Study Report","url":"https://disclosdex.com/documents/2023-nasa-uap-study-report"},"direction":"outbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"federica-bianco","title":"Federica Bianco","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/federica-bianco"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"jen-buss","title":"Jen Buss","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/jen-buss"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"joshua-semeter","title":"Joshua Semeter","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/joshua-semeter"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"karlin-toner","title":"Karlin Toner","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/karlin-toner"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"matt-mountain","title":"Matt Mountain","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/matt-mountain"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"mike-gold","title":"Mike Gold","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/mike-gold"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"paula-bontempi","title":"Paula Bontempi","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/paula-bontempi"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"reggie-brothers","title":"Reggie Brothers","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/reggie-brothers"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"shelley-wright","title":"Shelley Wright","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/shelley-wright"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"walter-scott","title":"Walter Scott","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/walter-scott"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"warren-randolph","title":"Warren Randolph","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/warren-randolph"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"sean-kirkpatrick","title":"Sean Kirkpatrick","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/sean-kirkpatrick"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"david-spergel","title":"David Spergel","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/david-spergel"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"james-fox","title":"James Fox","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/james-fox"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"richard-haines","title":"Richard Haines","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/richard-haines"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"avi-loeb","title":"Avi Loeb","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/avi-loeb"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"gary-nolan","title":"Garry Nolan","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/gary-nolan"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1},{"ref":{"type":"people","slug":"scott-kelly","title":"Scott Kelly","url":"https://disclosdex.com/people/scott-kelly"},"direction":"inbound","weight":1}],"citation":{"canonicalUrl":"https://disclosdex.com/programs/nasa-uap-study-team","title":"NASA UAP Study Team","publisher":"Disclosdex","retrievedFrom":"https://disclosdex.com/api/v1/programs/nasa-uap-study-team","license":"CC-BY-4.0"}}