Bill Nelson speaks at a news conference about a new UFO report commission by Nasa. (Picture: Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Nasa administrator Bill Nelson said he believes there could be aliens living on another planet like ours.
He offered his thoughts after the space agency released the findings of a year long study into UFOs, which it calls Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs).
Speaking at a news conference, Mr Nelson admitted that with billions of stars in billions of galaxies out there, another Earth could well exist.
He said: ‘If you ask me, do I believe there’s life in a universe that is so vast that it’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is yes.’
Nasa scientists put the likelihood of life on another Earth-like planet at ‘at least a trillion’, he added.
In the study’s 33-page report, an independent team commissioned by Nasa urged the US space agency to increase its efforts to gather information on UAPs and play a larger role in helping the Pentagon detect them.
The 16-member panel noted technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are essential for identifying rare occurrences, including UAPs.
Mr Nelson said he believes another world like ours could exist (Picture: Getty Images)
Nasa is now appointing a director of UAP research to head up a new project scrutinising data, and investigating UAP presence on earth.
It’s hoped Nasa’s involvement will help reduce the stigma around UAPs.
‘We want to shift the conversation about UAPs from sensationalism to science,’ Mr Nelson said.
He promised an open and transparent approach.
When asked by reporters on whether the US or other governments are hiding aliens or otherworldly spaceships, Mr Nelson replied: ‘Show me the evidence.’
Mr Nelson wants to shift the UFO conversation from ‘sensationalism to science’ (Picture: Getty Images)
Nasa has said it does not actively search for unexplained sightings.
But it has a fleet of spacecraft circling earth that can help determine, for example, whether weather is behind a strange object or event.
Nasa defines UAPs as observations in the sky or elsewhere that cannot be readily identified or scientifically explained.
The study was launched a year ago and cost under 100,000 dollars (£80,500).
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