The Government Says UFOs Are Real — And Fighter Pilots Want You to Help Look for Them (For Real)Americans for Safe Aerospace seeks to make it easier for pilots and concerned citizens to report unexplained things they see in the sky.

In the blink of an eye, movies likeIndependence Day,Mars Attacks!andClose Encounters of the Third Kindshifted from entertainment to instructional videos.

FollowingNASA's first public meetingof its new committee tasked with studying UAPs ("unidentified aerial phenomena") Wednesday, an organization calledAmericans for Safe Aerospaceis asking for all Americans to keep their eyes peeled while flying the (hopefully) friendly skies.

Co-founded by former Navy fighter pilot Ryan Graves, the group is dedicated to "aerospace safety and national security with a focus on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)," per its mission statement.

"Unidentified objects in our airspace present an urgent and critical safety and national security issue, but pilots are not getting the support they need and the respect they deserve," Graves toldNBC News. "When I served, my squadron was encountering UAP nearly every day, and nothing was being done."

It's official. ?

We are excited to announce ASA's launch as the first military pilot-led nonprofit organization focused on UAP by naming our Aircrew Leadership Council and Advisory Board.

Aircrew Leadership Council
- Alex Dietrich
- David Fravor
- Sam Fletcher
- Lewis Harding…

— Americans for Safe Aerospace (@SafeAerospace)June 1, 2023

目前,鼓励乘客the FAA to report weird things they see outside the window for national security purposes, but pilots on those same planes face obstacles and professional scorn if they try to report UAPs, says Graves. And so the group is pushing for better reporting mechanisms for pilots, stating on its website that it supports "military and commercial pilots and aerospace workers impacted by UAP, scientists committed to investigating this mystery, and concerned citizens who believe in transparent disclosure from our government."

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Not too long ago, UFO hunters conjured up images of people running around in tinfoil hats, but ASA's Advisory Board includes many prominent figures, including Harvard astronomerAvi Loeb, former International Space Station commander Terry Virts, and former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet.

Graves told NBC that while most UAP sightings turn out to be nothing to worry about, 2% to 5% of reports are unexplainable and represent military threats from places like China and Russia — and maybe even further away.

If you want to get involved, signup forASA's newletter, which promises to include updates, briefings and "ways to make your voice heard' on UAPs.

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