Daily Archives: May 20, 2022

In 2015, NASA released a 152-page report revealing a long history of astronauts operating spacecraft while impaired. Their impairment, however, was not because they were under the influence of an intoxicant. Instead, the impairment arose because the astronauts experienced a lack of gravitational influence.

Spending long periods in a microgravity environment causes changes in the brain organization, according to previous neurological studies of space travelers. However, it is challenging for researchers to link these changes to specific impairments or symptoms largely because very few people have been in space for long periods, meaning data are sparse.

A group of American, European, and Russian scientists recently overcame this challenge by pooling data from their space-traveling counterparts. According to their study, all astronauts American, European, and Russian exhibited similar brain changes upon return from space. However, there was a noteworthy difference when it came to the Americans.

American astronauts, who have a different microgravity countermeasure method, had an enlarged brain region that was associated with vision problems.

When humans first began traveling to space, there was little consideration over how leaving Earth could impact the biological system. In fact, early NASA management considered space travel to be a science of engineering and physics. Biology had no place.

However, many of the early astronauts reported symptoms most notably, motion sickness. For most people, motion sickness is normal, especially if they were floating around in space. Astronauts, however, are specifically conditioned to be immune to motion sickness. These symptoms received scant attention at first. But as astronauts began spending longer in space and exploring the lunar surface, astronauts reported more alarming symptoms.

According to the 2015 NASA report, astronauts who spent long periods in space described motor-control problems and vision impairment, neither of which are ideal for individuals operating billion-dollar pieces of equipment in outer space.

One particularly common visual impairment, spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), affects up to 70% of NASA astronauts who undergo long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS). These symptom indicated neurological changes, so it became more common for astronauts to undergo MRIs before and after missions.

These brain scans revealed significant structural changes. The group of international researchers sought to determine whether these changes in the brain are associated with SANS.Donna Roberts, M.D., a neuroradiologist at the Medical University of South Carolina who helped lead the study, explained in a press release:

By putting all our data together, we have a larger subject number. Thats important when you do this type of study. When youre looking for statistical significance, you need to have larger numbers of subjects.

The study focused on 24 Americans, 13 Russians, and a small, unspecified number of astronauts from the ESA. The researchers collected MRI scans of the astronauts brains before and after they spent six months on the ISS (only 256 individuals have visited the space station).

After being in space, all the space travelers exhibited similar brain changes: cerebrospinal fluid buildup and reduced space between the brain and the surrounding membrane at the top of the head. The Americans, however, also had more enlargement in the regions of the brain that serve as a cleaning system during sleep, e.g. the perivascular space (PVS).

When the researchers consulted the astronauts ophthalmologic records, they found that eight (33.3%) developed SANS, and the PVS of those individuals was larger than those who were unaffected. This suggested an enlarged PVS is linked to the development of SANS.

The postflight changes in PVS, but not in other regions, were significantly higher in NASA astronauts than Russians. (Credit: Barisano et al. PNAS. 2022)

The Russian astronauts did not exhibit enlarged PVS, suggesting there might be differences in protocol that are neuro-protective. One explanation provided by the researchers is the differences in the use of countermeasures and high-resistive exercise regimes, which can influence brain fluid redistribution.

Although the effects of [countermeasures and high-resistive exercise regimes] on the brain during spaceflight are unknown, they could partly explain the different WM-PVS changes detected in astronauts and cosmonauts. We cannot exclude that other factors (e.g., diet) might play a role in this difference, wrote the authors.

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How long-term space missions change the brain - Big Think

I recently read (and greatly enjoyed) V2, Robert Harriss absorbing second world war thriller about British attempts to locate and destroy the base in the Netherlands from which Hitlers Retaliation Weapon 2 those devastating rocket-powered bombs aimed at London were launched. Harris is famous for the meticulous research that underpins his plots and V2 is no exception. For me, a particularly interesting aspect of the novel was his portrayal of Wernher von Braun, the German aerospace engineer who was the leading figure in the development of Nazi rocketry and who was snaffled by the US (with a large number of his technical associates) to enjoy a splendid second career as the mastermind of the US space programme.

Harris portrays Von Braun as an exceedingly shrewd operator who effectively used the Nazi regime to enable him to further his dream of space exploration. Although he joined the National Socialist party in 1937, he claimed that doing so was the only way of being allowed to continue his technical work on rocketry, which is perhaps plausible. Less so perhaps was his decision to join the SS, a decision that plays a useful role in Harriss story.

At one point, though, he came under suspicion for being insufficiently patriotic and spent two weeks in a Gestapo cell before being reinstated after intervention by Albert Speer, the minister for war production, on the grounds that he was essential to the V2 programme. Whatever the truth is about this, what is abundantly clear is that Von Braun was an astute manipulator of the Nazi regime for his own purposes. He also knew that when Germany eventually surrendered, the Americans would be more interested in his potential usefulness than in, say, the employment of slave labour in the German rocket programme.

And so it proved. In June 1945, the state department approved the transfer of Von Braun and his specialist team to the US. He worked on the US armys ballistic missile programme and designed the rocket that launched the USs first space satellite in 1958, four months after the USSRs Sputnik sent the American political class into a panicky tailspin. In 1960, his group was assimilated into Nasa, where he became director of the new Marshall Space Flight Center and the lead architect of the Saturn V rocket that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the moon.

Not bad for a former SS officer, eh? But, as I discovered as I burrowed down the agreeable rabbit hole on which Harris had launched me, the story gets better. During his early years in the US, Von Braun became pally with Walt Disney, with whom he collaborated on a series of three educational films and to whom he probably confided his dream of a manned mission to Mars. More intriguingly, in 1949, when he was stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas, he wrote a science fiction novel (in German) entitled Marsprojekt but failed to find a publisher for it. He wrote it, he writes in the preface, to stimulate interest in space travel. Eventually, the novel was translated into English, cleared by the Pentagon (on the grounds that its authors visions of space travel were too futuristic to infringe on classified matters) and published in 2006 as Project Mars: A Technical Tale.

The action is set in 1980 three decades after its composition. The world is governed by the United States of Earth, established after a devastating war in the 1970s between the western powers and the eastern bloc. The west won the conflict with the aid of Lunetta, an orbiting space station that dropped nuclear missiles on the Soviet Union. Soon after peace returns to the world, astronomers discover canals on Mars, suggesting the presence of intelligent life there. The president orders a mission to Mars to establish just how intelligent the Martians are and whether they pose a threat to Earth.

Project Mars is very much the work of an engineer, outlining in 48 chapters the technical requirements of a huge space expedition involving a flotilla of 10 spacecraft with 70 crew members that would return after spending 443 days on Mars before the trip back to Earth.

Chapter 24 is particularly interesting because it relates what the explorers discover about the planets inhabitants, who are conveniently humanoid in appearance and wisely live underground. They welcome the visitors, to whom they appear to be members of an ancient and benevolent super-civilisation. Martian technology is far superior to that of the vacationing Earthlings: it includes underground transport and organ transplants, for example; Martians take ethics and morality seriously and they believe that technology should be used responsibly.

But the real knockout, at least for this columnist, is Von Brauns account of how these super-humanoids are governed. It is all done by a group of 10 men under an ultra-wise leader.

And what do they call this super-sage?

Why, the Elon.

Remind you of anyone?

Keep on truckin Cars Are Here to Stay is the title of a sobering essay by Alex Trembath.

Ever the optimist Thomas Piketty Thinks America Is Primed for Wealth Redistribution is the transcript of a good New York Times interview with the great French economist. I hope hes right but fear that he is not.

When the pumps run dry Forecourt Futures is a lovely blog post by Quentin Stafford-Fraser on what happens to petrol stations when we all drive EVs.

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Meet the former Nazi rocket scientist who all too accurately saw the future - The Guardian

Whether you love him or loathe him, billionaire Elon Musk's future plans could impact your life in some way, but that might not have always been the case. A new Channel 4 documentary, Elon Musk: Superhero or Supervillain? has shined a light on a period in which the Tesla CEO could have died before achieving anything he set out to do.

In 2001, during his second attempt at a honeymoon, Elon contracted the most severe case of malaria that you can get. The condition, which could have proved fatal, was described as a "turning point" for Musk in the Channel 4 film, as it was the moment that he set out to make his dreams of space travel a reality.

"When he's on that near-death bed, he starts to think: what is he doing with his life? What's next? What is going to be his life ambitions and you start to see him think about space travel," one Elon Musk biographer said.

Elon, 50, even wrote on Twitter that prior to a formal diagnosis, he was misdiagnosed of malaria and said that he was, "36 hours from being unrecoverable". The incident was, ultimately, a crucial moment in the SpaceX founder's life.

Read more: Who's Richard Mylan, what TV shows has he been in and who's he married to?

Elon Musk: Superhero or Supervillain? is inspired by Musk's appearance with Stephen Colbert six years ago. In the clip, which has 12 million views on YouTube, Colbert asks the billionaire how he feels to be compared to Marvel's Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr) and asks the question, "are you a superhero or supervillain?" The Channel 4 documentary explores this question and features interviews with people who know Elon and have worked with him.

Musk has recently been making headlines for his purchasing of social media platform, Twitter. The entrepreneur is also a champion of green tech and intends to launch his SpaceX rockets to Mars.

Interestingly, the documentary also interviews those that have gone to war with Elon and makes viewers question whether they have faith in what he is trying to achieve.

What do you think? Elon Musk: superhero or supervillain? Let us know in the comments. The documentary airs on Channel 4 on Monday, May 16 at 9pm.

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The near-death experience that opened Elon Musks eyes to the possibility of space travel - Wales Online

Working in collaboration with the Manufacture La Joux-Perret, Fortis launches its new caliber 17 on its maiden flight. The first journey will take place in an aptly named timepiece itself inspired by the skies, in the Stratoliner S-41.

Exposed to the extreme conditions in the stratosphere, the automatic chronograph movement amasses a power reserve of 60 hours and is equipped with a column-wheel. In addition to the stop watch functionality, the watch offers a date and weekday indication located at 3 oclock on the white or gray dial.

Luminous markers in light blue also indicate time intervals important for space travel. These flights can be divided into three phases: an ascent phase of up to 90 minutes, a takeoff phase lasting up to 90 seconds, and the period of zero gravity, which lasts up to a maximum of 15 minutes.

The Stratoliner S-41 embarks on its journey to outer atmosphere in a stainless steel case which has a diameter of 41 mm and a water-resistance of 200 meters. It retails for $5,150.

To learn more, visit Fortis, here.

Tags: Automatic Chronograph, Automatic Watches, Cool Watches, Fortis, Space Watches, Vintage Watches, Watches, White Watches

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To the Outer Atmosphere: Meet The New Fortis Stratoliner S-41 - Watchtime.com

First contact with aliens is a common theme in many science fiction stories. Often depicted as either the most remarkable event in human history or its end, it would undoubtedly change everything we have ever thought about existence forever.

But, should things turn nasty, what could we really do to evade extinction? Let's take a look.

It is probably worth exploring if we actually have anything to fear before we get into the nitty-gritty about potential defensive strategies for our planet. While we can only know for sure if an alien species would be aggressive by actually meeting them, we can make some educated guesses about how such an encounter may turn out.

Some of the greatest scientific minds, like Stephen Hawking, have famously warned about not announcing our existence to the universe. He believes that bumping into extraterrestrial life would be devastating for our species and planet.

"Ifaliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didnt turn out very well for the Native Americans," Hawkingssaidin a 2010 documentary for the Discovery Channel.

"A civilization reading one of our messages could be billions of years ahead of us. If so, they will be vastly more powerful, and may not see us as any more valuable than we see bacteria," he later qualified.

Whether intentionally or by accident, an alien species may wipe us out, or perhaps worse, consider us as a resource to be harvested. This, for example, is the premise of the First Formic War Trilogy in Ender's Game series of novels written by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston.

In this series, the ant-like aliens called Formics do not consider human beings sentient since they lack a "hive mind". To this end, they begin to prepare Earth for a new colony. To this end, they mount an invasion but are defeated through various interesting tactics and extreme sacrifice.

While this is obviously fantasy, it does raise some interesting questions.

For example, what would aliens look like? Many thinkers in this field believe that our first contact with aliens will be with robotic probes or drones rather than living creatures. Similar to how we do not risk human lives on more extendedspace exploration missions, aliens may adopt a similar strategy.

This might be for a variety of reasons, but the time required for long journeys and investment in life support systems are chief among them. Yet other experts also suggest that such robots could be the aliens themselves.

"Because of the limits of biology and flesh-and-blood brains," Steven J. Dick, an astronomer and ex-chief historian for NASA has argued. "Cultural evolution will eventually result in methods for improving intelligence beyond those biological limits," he added.

Robotic aliens are also more likely to make such long journeys, as they will be far more durable than any kind of life we currently know.

However such aliens look, many experts have also warned that they will likely be unpredictable. If they are millions or even billions of years ahead of us in development, the outcome of meeting them may not be in our favor.

It is quite likely they'd be capable of some aggression, as this kind of behavior is generally favored by natural selection, at least here on Earth. After all, a species that cannot fight to defend itself or hunt is less likely to develop the capacity for exploring the unknown and taking the risks of space travel.

On Earth, at least, predatory animals tend to be the ones who have developed problem-solving abilities. The same is probably may well be true for alien life.

It may also be the case that aliens, like our own species, have developed the capability for both extreme violence and peaceful compromise.

"We have good reason to believe that aggressive instincts will be present in extraterrestrials,"astrobiologist Pushkar Ganesh Vaidya has written. "To what extentalien life can curb their aggressive instincts (or else they will possibly self-destruct) is anybodys guess," he added.

There is also the possibility that humans could unintentionally spark aggressive actions from aliens. Since such a meeting would be incredibly tense, the chances of events spiraling out of control are quite likely.

This sort of scenario has been covered in various sci-fi works for many decades now, but we will never really know the outcome of such an event until it happens. enders

So, assuming that a visiting alien race may have less than peaceful intentions, what, if anything, could we actually do about it?

Let's take a look at some of the current thoughts on the subject.

From films like "Independence Day 2" to "Starship Troopers", many science fiction franchises suggest that in the future, our species will have spent some time building up an early warning system of some kind to defend our planet. In real life, such a system(s) could be incredibly useful for giving us as much time as possible to prepare for what many thinkers consider an inevitable clash of species.

While we have many space observation telescopes on Earth and in orbit, most of these are not explicitly designed to look for alien craft. However, so long as alien spacecraft don't defy the laws of physics as we understand them, they could have some use for this task.

For example, NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer(WISE) space telescope is probably the best bet at present. Of course, assuming that an alien ship is large and slow enough to be picked up and tracked.

Like the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, other programs are specifically designed for hunting for potential alien communications. But, most efforts scan only a tiny portion of the night sky at any one time, and we would need to be very lucky to detect an incoming ship or even fleet using these. Assuming that aliens would be broadcasting as they approach a potentially inhabited planet.

However, we do have some infrastructure on Earth tasked explicitly with hunting for potential threats to our planet. For example, through thePlanetary Defense Coordination Office, NASA constantly monitors the sky for incoming objects, like asteroids, that could prove dangerous for life on Earth.

While NASA and similar organizations are primarily searching for things like near-Earth objects (NEOs), such systems could also look for incoming spacecraft.

Thanks to existing systems like this, we've had some interesting false alarms for potential visiting alien craft over the last few years, like 'Oumuamua.

But, we may have some better systems in the works as well.

A concept called theUniversal Robotic Battle Cosmic Platform (URBOCOP) might be just the ticket. According to its designers, the Moscow-based International Expert Society on Space Threat Defense, such a system would be completely autonomous and could simultaneously identify, track, and classify potential space threats to our planet.

URBOCOP would be an armed, unpiloted space station with onboard weapons capable of destroying both natural and human-made objects threatening Earth.

Using a fully automated system, the international platform could monitor threats such as asteroids and comets, space debris, ballistic missiles, and, yes, perhaps even alien ships. It could even be outfitted with its own planetary defense weapons, too like a silo of nukes or kinetic energy weapons like railguns.

However, since such a platform could also be used to potentially target things on Earth, we'd have to be very careful with any systems used to automate it to ensure they are free from human bias. It would also need to be "hackproof" from other humans and aliens.

But, even with all things going to plan and assuming that we are given enough time to prepare, what can we do next?

Once we've detected an approaching spaceship, assuming the aliens are known to be hostile (which may be impossible to determine in advance of their arrival), what actions could be taken to stop them? Since an actual full-scale invasion would likely get very messy, the best option for us would be to stop them dead, so to speak, before they get to us.

Nuking them might be an option. But would this actually work?

Expert opinion is, unsurprisingly, divided on this subject. Some believe that alien spacecraft would likely be designed and built to be as light as possible. This may make them susceptible to nuclear strikes if we can actually hit the ship.

However, like plans to defend Earth from asteroids, we'd likely need to penetrate the ship and detonate bombs inside it rather than impact them on the surface. The latter would probably have minimal effect on a large and tough-enough spaceship especially as any deep-space going craft would need considerable shielding.

Believe it or not, researchers have considered plans for spacecraft capable of doing this today. One example is called theHypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle, or HAIV. This spacecraft is designed to carry a nuclear weapon to an approaching asteroid and blow it up before it becomes a threat to Earth.

The idea is that the craft approaches an asteroid, bores a hole through its exterior, plants a nuke, and then blows the thing to pieces in short order - a bit like in the movie Armageddon. While currently very much in the conceptual phase, crafts like HAIV are not beyond our technological capabilities to build today.

It should also be possible to weaponize such a device to intercept and potentially knock out an alien spaceship. But, once again, we would need to ensure that this craft could actually bore a hole through an alien spaceship's hull.

Or, for that matter, even stand a chance of getting near enough to do so without itself being blown up.

Should our most devastating weapons, nukes, fail to stop them in space, and they launch an invasion, what can we do? Would small arms, for example, be any use at all?

Once again, opinion is mixed on the subject. But, if defensive weapons like energy shields are a scientific impossibility, as some believe, then could weapons such as firearms hurt them?

Possibly not.

Let's consider the fact that an alien race would need some very sophisticated technology to travel the vast distances of space unscathed. It is likely they have developed some very resilient materials. Their spacecraft, for example, would need to be able to survive multiple impacts from fast-moving, high-energy objects like micrometeorites.

Such 'armor' plating, or rather the material it is made of, could be adapted for body armor (or combat drones) that would have little trouble dealing with a speeding bullet. And this is not science fiction. Existing human spacecraft are often armored to protect them against speeding micrometeorites and "space junk" in a similar fashion. Other materials like nanostructured materials currently in development also show some promise for future near-impenetrable protection.

If such armor can stop speeding micrometeorites, it should also have little problems against weapons like bullets, knives, swords, spears, giant stones, etc.

With their higher mass and energy, artillery shells may prove effective on individual aliens but would probably be ineffectual against their vehicles.

If aliens ever attacked us, is there any possibility the world's military powers have something secret up their sleeves to save us? After all, this is often what happens in the movies. While such programs are of utmost secrecy by their very nature, most of the advanced weapons we know about today were also once hidden from view.

ThePentagonsDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA), for example, is famed for its secret weapons research. Defense contractors are another potential source of some futuristic tech, too.

We can only really speculate about what is currently in development, but some rumors may have some truth to them, and others that we do know something about, of not everything.

One example is the High Energy Liquid Laser Defense System, or HELLADS. While its name is less than inspiring, this directed energy weapon is not something to be taken lightly.

Currently, in development by DARPA, this system would utilize high-energy lasers capable of targeting, tracking, and ultimately destroying targets. At present, the lasers under development (as far as we know) are too heavy to mount on an aircraft, but plans are afoot to miniaturize a 150-kilowatt variant in the future.

Whether such a weapon would have any utility against alien craft can only be speculated on.

DARPA might also have something in the works for super speedy and maneuverable aircraft that could prove pivotal. Called the Falcon HTV-2, this is an experimental hypersonic, uncrewed, rocket-launched aerial vehicle.

According to DARPA, this craft will be able to reach Mach 20 and appears to be primarily designed as a reconnaissance craft. With some additional development, it may be possible to actually weaponize such a vehicle and unleash it on some unsuspecting alien forces.

Other potential experimental weapons include the Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munitions. Called MAHEM for short,these projectiles use compressed magnetic flux generator (CMFG)-driven magneto hydrodynamically formed metal jets.

While further technical information is scarce on the ground (for obvious reasons), these weapons appear to work by using a magnetic field to push molten metal into a target. Again, heaven knows if this would do any actual damage to an alien or alien craft, but it would certainly be worth a punt.

If our mightiest weapons fail us, what do we have left? Probably only enough time to make peace with our makers.

But seriously, what would be our final line of defense?

While we, as species, are incredibly adept at fighting conflicts here on Earth, our technology and tactics would probably be woefully inadequate for resisting an alien attack of this kind.

Such a conflict would likely be short, brutal, and devastating. In fact, some experts, such as Annie Simon (a biology professor who was an adviser on The X-Files), believe such an encounter would be "like the Roman Empire fighting the US military today."

But it would probably be a lot worse. After all, an entire Roman Legion might be able to kill at least a few modern soldiers, especially if they ran out of ammunition.

Against a highly developed and aggressive alien race, we might be lucky even to get the better of a handful of them. That's assuming, of course, they'd even bother to put their own lives at risk.

As we've previously mentioned, we'd most likely be facing their advanced scouts or combat drones (aerial or otherwise). They may even simply decide to "decontaminate" our planet from orbit without launching a full-scale invasion.

But, such tactics would depend on the alien's intentions for our planet. If it is subjugation, our species may survive only to live a bitter existence in enslavement or worse.

If they need our resources intact, mass devastation of the planet is probably unlikely.

If we attempted to resist, even our most sophisticated weapons, like the U.S. Navy's F/A-18F Super Hornets or stealth-capable fighters, would likely have a tough time. After all, back in 2004, two such aircraft couldn't match the maneuverability of a "tic-tac" shaped unidentified flying object.

If indeed that was some form of advanced aerial vehicle. Perhaps, just perhaps, this was some advanced secret weapon we could deploy? We'll likely never know.

But, assuming we could survive the initial alien attack long enough to form an organized defense, what could we do? That would all depend on the alien's offensive capabilities.

Would they use energy weapons? Some kind of biological-based poisons? Viruses? EMPs? Kinetic weapons?

Unfortunately, there is no way to know this in advance.

Our only real hope might be to run a worldwide guerilla warfare campaign and attempt to capture and use the alien's technology against them. If we could quickly assimilate or replicate it, we could have a fighting chance.

But, any attacking alien race would likely expect and prevent this as best they can.

In the end, our best defense might be mother nature itself. Since our species, and every other species on this planet, are the product of millions of years of adaptation to Earth, microbes might be the best weapon we never knew we had - just like in 2005's War of the Worlds.

Of course, the same is true in reverse. An introduced invasive species of microbe could also wipe us out too. There are plenty of analogies for this here on Earth (think of the colonization of the Americas or the 1971 filmThe Andromeda Strain).

While we've had some fun fantasizing about a potential alien invasion of our planet, in all likelihood, we'll never live to see such an event. The great distances among the stars and its ever-expanding nature may mean we never meet another advanced species in the future.

That is, of course, if they exist. If they do live close, and thinkers like Hawkings are correct, then let's hope we never find out.

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What could we realistically do to stop an alien invasion? - Interesting Engineering

After a 90-minute congressional hearing about UFOs on Tuesday, they retain their air of mystery.

A House Intelligence subcommittee held the first congressional hearing in over half a century on military reports of unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP). UAP rebrands what most people refer to as UFOs, to avoid the stigma attached to a phenomenon that is the subject of lurid conspiracy theories.

Pentagon officials who testified were Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray.

Little new light was shed on UFOs, but the two officials tried to clarify the situation by ruling things out.

Theres no evidence to suggest UAPs are extraterrestrial.

There have been no collisions with Navy aircraft, but 11 near misses.

Theyve found no unexplained wreckage.

Theyve received no communications from the UAPs.

The military have never fired shots at them.

They believe no foreign adversary could create such technologies.

These unequivocal statements mask a large degree of uncertainty. The hearing was a follow-up to the release of a report in June last year from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Among 144 sightings in the report, only one could be explained. It was a large, deflating weather balloon. In November, the Pentagon formed a new group to coordinate efforts to detect and identify objects in restricted airspace, with the unwieldy title of the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group. The title does not convey confidence that the group will be nimble and sharply focused.

At the hearing, the Pentagon officials admitted that the number of reports now totaled 400, but many are anecdotal. Reports of sightings are frequent and continuing. As detailed in the earlier report, they noted 18 occasions when aerial objects moved at considerable speed without visible means of propulsion, acknowledging that sensor artifacts could be the explanation in some cases. They admitted that the data were often insufficient to draw any conclusions.

A sign of the challenge came when the subcommittee spent five minutes scrutinizing a video shot last year through the window of an F18 fighter jet. It showed a spherical object in the distance. But the clip only lasted a few seconds and fragmentary data is unlikely to resolve the nature of UAPs. Skeptics have already debunked some of the grandiose claims for earlier videos. However, the Pentagon officials did assert that many of the sightings are of real, physical objects.

Several members of the subcommittee were skeptical that the military was committed to getting to the bottom of this mystery. In response, Bray said, Im impatient. I want immediate understanding as much as anyone else.

Moultrie agreed noting, Theres no other higher priority we have, and he admitted hes a science faction fan, adding I am an inquisitive mind.

One House member in the room had a particularly jaundiced view of the proceedings. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) asserted the Pentagon was not being transparent and were too quick to dismiss the alien spacecraft hypothesis. He says he even sells a t-shirt on his website that says More people believe in UFOs than believe in Congress.

Its unlikely that the closed session yielded any startling insights either. More likely, it was classified because it covered sensors and capabilities that the military does not want revealed.

While we wait for the military to gather more and better data, scientists and the public have already decided. Astronomers know there are hundreds of millions of habitable planets in our galaxy, with a good chance that life on some of them could have evolved to have the capability for space travel. However, they are skeptical and they know that most UFOs sightings have mundane, terrestrial explanations. The public, on the other hand, has largely adopted the alien hypothesis: Half of Americans think UFOs are extraterrestrials visiting the Earth.

Chris Impey is a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona. He is the author of hundreds of research papers on observational cosmology and education, and he has written popular books on black holes, the future of space travel, teaching cosmology to Buddhist monks, how the universe began, and how the universe will end. His massive open online courses have enrolled over 300,000 people.

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Congress asked, the Pentagon answered but UFOs remain mysterious - The Hill