(NewsNation) — A former NASA official who is examining the space administration’s archives for evidence of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, also called UFOs, doesn’t think his former agency oversaw cover-ups but says it may have helped perpetuate a stigma on speaking up about the UAPs.
“In academia, the stigma is so strong that if you even look at this issue, there is a knee-jerk and automatic reaction against you — threatening your career, threatening your credibility,” Michael Gold tells “Reality Check.”
Gold previously served as NASA’s associate administrator for space policy and partnerships. He said he doesn’t think the agency intentionally discouraged scientists from asking questions about UAP but added some part of the government may have “developed” an overarching taboo mindset decades ago.
“In the ‘40s, early ‘50s, it was very different than it was today,” he said, referring to the public discourse on UFOs. “There was no mockery. It was treated as potentially real phenomena … then there was this pivot.”
Gold served on NASA’s independent UAP study team, which offered recommendations on further study of UFOs. Now, he’s on a private-sector committee assembled by the Disclosure Foundation to review NASA archival materials and flag information that merits further investigation.
Gold said his committee will do its best to get NASA to provide more evidence if it’s not publicly available.
“I can’t force NASA to collaborate or not collaborate,” he said. “What we will do is talk about the information that is missing and what should be looked at.”
He said the topic of UAPs remains a significant U.S. national security issue.
“We cannot afford to fall behind our geopolitical adversaries in this. We cannot allow a lack of imagination to turn into a lack of freedom,” Gold said.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Michael gold nasa NewsNation UAPs UFOsCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments: Link copiedMore Space News
See All
Energy & Environment Trump administration eyes offshore space launches by Rachel Frazin 2 days ago Energy & Environment / 2 days ago 
