Nasa head says he is ‘certain’ of alien life in the universe

The new head of Nasa has said that he “certainly” thinks that there is alien life in the universe.

Bill Nelson, who was appointed head of the agency in May, gave the answer during an interview with the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

“My personal opinion is that the universe is so big, and now, there are even theories that there might be other universes. If that’s the case, who am I to say that planet Earth is the only location of a life form that is civilised and organised like ours?” Nelson told Larry Sabato, a professor of politics at University of Virginia.

“Are there other planet Earths out there? I certainly think so, because the universe is so big.”

Nelson also said that Navy pilots have reported over 300 sightings of UFOs since 2004, with neither the military nor Nasa knowing what the objects are.

In May this year, evidence of unidentified flying objects around a US warship in the pacific ocean was released. “Holy s*** they’re going fast,” one sailor remarks, before the object turned around quickly despite its great speed.

One month prior, the Pentagon released three declassified videos that showed other strange objects from 2004 to 2015. The videos were released to “to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real or whether or not there is more to the videos,” the Pentagon said.

“We hope it’s not an adversary here on Earth that has that kind of technology. But it’s something. And so, this is a mission that we’re constantly looking — what, who is out there? Who are we? How did we get here? How did we become as we are? How did we develop? How did we civilise? And are those same conditions out there in a universe that has billions of other suns in billions of other galaxies. It’s so large I can’t conceive it.”

When asked what Mr Nelson believed was the answer, the Nasa head said that he did not know. “But I do know this”, he continued, “my personal opinion is that the universe is so big, and now there are even theories there that there might even be other universes, and if that’s the case, who am I to say that planet Earth is the only location of a life form that is civilised, and organised, like ours?”

He continued: “I’ll tell you what that makes me think. I’d better be a better steward of what we have, because we’re messing it up, and we’re messing it up just the way we’re treating each other. So I know what my mission is, to be a better steward of this planet and be a better citizen of planet Earth.”

Nasa’s Mars missions are a key part in the hunt for alien life. Two weeks ago, the Perseverance rover found evidence that the Jezero crater was, in ancient times, a lake that supported water – and samples from that delta may contain organic compounds and other evidence of extra-terrestrial life.

*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from The Independent can be found here ***