NASA released a much-anticipated report on unidentified anomalous phenomena on Thursday, urging the agency and its partners to treat sightings and sensor anomalies as a scientific problem rather than a matter of speculation. The document lays out steps to improve data collection, standardize reporting, and create public, peer-reviewable repositories—measures the authors say are essential to separate explainable events from genuinely anomalous ones.

The report, produced by an independent study team commissioned by NASA, argues that fragmentary, inconsistent data remains the principal obstacle to progress. "Without standardized sensors, shared metadata and access to original data streams, the phenomena cannot be analyzed in a way that meets scientific norms," the report states. It recommends that NASA establish clear protocols for instrument calibration, timing and geolocation so observations from satellites, ground radars and aircraft can be correlated effectively.

Lead author David Spergel, who chaired NASA's earlier UAP study, said in an accompanying statement that the report seeks to "normalize rigorous observation and analysis" and to reduce the stigma that has kept qualified scientists from participating. "We can and should treat UAPs like any other empirical problem," he wrote. "Open data and transparent methods are the only path to credible conclusions."

Among the report's key proposals are the creation of an open-access database for raw sensor feeds and metadata, expanded partnerships with universities and civilian research centers, and development of machine-learning tools to sift large volumes of heterogeneous data. The authors also call for coordinated protocols with federal agencies that operate airspace and defense sensors, so that civilian scientists can access relevant streams while sensitive national-security information is protected.

The recommendations arrive against a backdrop of heightened congressional attention and public fascination. Lawmakers have pressed the Pentagon to provide briefings and declassified data in recent years, and the Defense Department has established offices to investigate anomalous encounters. The NASA report underscores a complementary role for civilian science: to apply reproducible methods that can either demystify incidents or flag them for further operational review.

Defense officials did not immediately endorse the report's recommendations, but a Pentagon spokesperson said the department would "review and coordinate as appropriate" with NASA on technical matters. Aviation-safety experts welcomed the emphasis on standardized reporting, saying better data could help distinguish instrument error and atmospheric phenomena from potential hazards to pilots and air traffic.

Scientists noted that rigorous study will require patience and funding. "This is about building the infrastructure of evidence—sensors, standards and people trained to analyze messy datasets," said an atmospheric physicist at a major university who asked that her name not be used. "That doesn't yield headlines overnight, but it is the right approach."

Beyond scientific and safety concerns, the report highlights ethical and societal questions: how to balance transparency against operational secrecy, how to protect privacy in shared sensor feeds, and how to prevent sensationalism in public communications. NASA said it will convene stakeholder workshops in the coming months to refine the recommendations and develop pilot projects. For researchers and the public alike, the report signals a shift: an attempt to move the study of UAPs from anecdote toward methodical inquiry.