(NewsNation) — A former NASA administrator is among those continuing to push for more government transparency on unidentified aerial phenomena, seeking answers about how much is known about mysterious objects seen in space.
Mike Gold and Luis Elizondo, the former head of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification program, presented officials with photos that they say are unidentified objects during a meeting Thursday. While neither Gold nor Elizondo can confidently identify lights that are seen in a photo taken during an Apollo 17 mission, Gold said the photos should be investigated more thoroughly by government officials.
“These are anomalous phenomena that are inexplicable,” Gold told NewsNation. “And even if these don’t turn out to be something extraordinary, this could be a natural phenomenon that could be quite interesting.”
He added: “We must look at this data, we must get to the truth, demand transparency and that’s how we learn through anomalies, that’s how science is done, that’s how learning is driven.”
Thursday’s four-hour forum on Capitol Hill included testimony from former intelligence officials, scientists and academic experts.
Elizondo said he was prepared to hear elected officials question the authenticity of the information that was presented, but that didn’t happen.
“I think this story is evolving,” he told NewsNation.
All of the information presented Thursday is publicly available, Gold said, adding that more should be made of the data and photos that are being released by NASA. The more data that is released, Gold said, the closer officials will get to unlocking the mystery of UAPs.
According to reports, the Department of Defense, which oversees UAP research, has a budget of $850 billion in 2025.
Other experts who testified Thursday, including retired Navy Adm. Timothy Gallaudet and Christopher Mellon, the former staff director of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, echoed Gold’s call for more information about what the government knows.
“There is an urgent need for greater transparency and to minimize the over-secrecy,” Elizondo said. “Right now, the faith and confidence is at an all-time low with our own government.”
