NASA is organizing an investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena, a mission that some experts and even some of NASA's leaders warn could put the space agency's good name at risk.

UFOs, formally called "unidentified aerial phenomena" (UAPs), have long since ceased to be a matter of conspiracy theories and science fiction movies: the United States Government believes that they should be investigated and taken seriously as a potential threat to the national security. And NASA has decided to put its tools at the service of this mission.

The space agency announced in June the formation of a team to study these phenomena, which were the focus of debate at a public congressional hearing in May, the first in 50 years on the subject.

Last month, NASA said it would fund a pilot study of UFOs, months after Congress ordered the Pentagon to set up a UFO office and produce annual reports. Meanwhile, Avi Loeb, a renowned astrophysicist at Harvard University, has raised millions of dollars for Project Galileo, which will scan the skies for UFOs. (Loeb has drawn criticism for his willingness to work with enthusiastic UFO believers.) Last month, both Loeb and Taylor appeared together at a "UFO disclosure symposium" in Utah, where they reviewed and discussed various UFO videos.