'This is unprecedented': Why the Pentagon's recent UFO file releases are so important

As "The X Files" famously told us, "the truth is out there." But at the same time, inquiring minds are immersed today in finding out whether or not the proof is out there — specifically, proof that at least some unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) come from somewhere beyond Earth.

The UAP acronym originally stood for "unidentified aerial phenomena," a term that itself was a rebranding of "unidentified flying object" (UFO).

And UFO was a replacement of sorts for the long-lasting and stylish " flying saucers ." Whatever the terminology, truth and proof in today's fractured and somewhat conspiratorial society could be construed as strange bedfellows.

UAP study team Mike Gold is president at Redwire Space, an innovative aerospace and defense company.

In 2022 and 2023, he served on the NASA Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Team, a council of 16 experts across diverse areas on matters relevant to potential ways to investigate UAP.

Gold's past roles include NASA associate administrator for space policy and partnerships, acting associate administrator for the Office of International and Interagency Relations, and senior advisor to the administrator for international and legal affairs.

While at NASA, he led the development and implementation of the Artemis Accords .

That past also includes 13 years at Bigelow Aerospace , during which he established the company's Washington office and oversaw the launches of Bigelow's Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 spacecraft, which showcased the use of expandable habitat technology.

A public meeting of NASA's Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Independent Study Team on May 31, 2023.

Mike Gold is second from the right in the front row. (Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky) Exposing the truth Gold's ongoing UAP interests were highlighted in 2024 during a hearing of the U.S.

House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Accountability titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth." "We must be thorough in collecting information, fearless in making conclusions and open to following the data no matter how mundane or extraordinary the results may be," Gold told the lawmakers.

"As the saying goes, the truth is out there.

We just need to be bold enough and brave enough to face it." Space.com caught up with Gold recently to discuss his current UAP views and his work with The Disclosure Foundation as an advisory board member.

A "football-shaped" UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomenon) observed by an infrared sensor on a U.S. military platform in 2024.