Veteran NASA astronaut reveals why he’s convinced that aliens actually exist
The possibility of aliens being real has fascinated scientists and space enthusiasts for decades, but one former NASA astronaut is convinced they are out there.
Winston E. Scott, who traveled into space on two Space Shuttle missions, has explained why he believes intelligent life exists somewhere beyond Earth.
And his reasoning comes down to one pretty staggering fact about the universe.
However, while he’s confident we’re not the only intelligent beings out there, he isn’t necessarily convinced that aliens have already made their way to our planet.
Veteran NASA astronaut says the numbers prove we’re not alone
Scott, a retired NASA astronaut who’s been to space, appeared on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime to discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
When host Jesse Watters asked him directly whether he believed in aliens, Scott explained that he often turns the question around on people who ask him.
He said: “I’m a numbers person. And with all the billions and billions and billions of planets out there, we cannot be the only one that has intelligent life.”
He added: “So I do believe there’s life someplace else out there in the universe.”
It’s a pretty straightforward argument, but one that makes sense when you consider just how enormous the universe is and how many planets could potentially exist beyond our own solar system.
Scott wasn’t claiming to have discovered extraterrestrial life himself, but he clearly believes the odds of Earth being the only place where intelligent beings have developed are incredibly slim.
Scott thinks E.T. is out there but isn’t sure aliens have visited Earth
Interestingly, the former NASA astronaut made an important distinction between believing in extraterrestrial life and believing that aliens have actually visited our planet.
He told Watters: “Now, whether or not it’s visiting us here on Earth or not is another topic of discussion.”
He then added: “But yeah, I think E.T. is out there someplace.”
That distinction is particularly important given the growing public interest in UFOs and unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs).
Although there have been plenty of reports of unexplained sightings, Scott’s comments aren’t confirmation of alien encounters or evidence that extraterrestrial visitors have reached Earth.
NASA has also previously stated that it has found no credible evidence that UAPs are extraterrestrial.
But that doesn’t mean scientists have stopped looking, with researchers continuing to investigate distant planets and other environments that could potentially support life.
The search for extraterrestrial life continues
Scott’s comments add another interesting perspective to one of science’s biggest unanswered questions: are we alone?
Scientists have discovered 6,445 planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets, and some orbit within the habitable zones of their stars, where conditions could potentially allow liquid water to exist.
That doesn’t mean life has been found on any of them, but it gives researchers plenty of places to investigate.
For now, Scott’s belief in intelligent extraterrestrial life remains a personal conviction rather than a scientifically proven discovery.
But with billions upon billions of planets potentially out there, it’s easy to see why he thinks Earth might not be quite so special after all.