On the need for rigorous scientific research on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)
Max F. Platzer
Progress in Aerospace Sciences, Vol. 156
Summary
Companion methodological paper to `platzer-2025-uap-outlook` by the same author in the same June 2025 Progress in Aerospace Sciences special issue. Where the status paper surveys the disclosure landscape, this paper makes the affirmative case for why aerospace science must rigorously engage with UAP — addressing historical reluctance, reviewing what a proper scientific program would require, and framing UAP as a legitimate open problem in the discipline. Together, the two Platzer papers represent the first sustained advocacy from a named mainstream aerospace academic for institutionalizing UAP research.
Abstract
This paper argues that the aerospace science community has an obligation to pursue rigorous scientific research on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). We review the history of institutional avoidance of the topic, examine the epistemological and methodological barriers that have discouraged engagement, and make the case that a scientifically sound research agenda is both achievable and necessary. We identify the observational, analytical, and institutional components of a rigorous program, discuss lessons from analogous fields that have successfully normalized the study of previously controversial phenomena, and call on professional aerospace societies, journals, and funding bodies to facilitate systematic UAP investigation. Published as part of the Progress in Aerospace Sciences special issue on UAP.
Citation
Max F. Platzer. (2025). Progress in Aerospace Sciences. Vol. 156. DOI: 10.1016/j.paerosci.2025.101096
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