NASA veteran says 'aliens are real' but haven't visited Earth

A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) veteran has claimed that aliens are real; however, he maintained that no extraterrestrial life has ever visited Earth.

Dr Gentry Lee started his career with the U.S. space agency in 1968 and has since designed probes that landed on distant planets.

Speaking at an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) event, Dr Lee said, “There exists nothing today that says any alien or any alien machine has ever landed on the planet Earth,” adding that those who believe otherwise have been misled.

The space expert said that the odds of finding life somewhere in space are overwhelming, saying, “We are going to find life of some kind somewhere else.”

His remarks come after the former U.S. President Barack Obama said, “Aliens are real”. He later clarified that he had not seen any evidence of extraterrestrial life being held on Earth during his presidency.

Incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. government to prepare the release of files related to aliens and UFOs.

Experts believe planets with Earth-like conditions are the most promising candidates for discovering extraterrestrial life.

An Earth-sized planet, TRAPPIST-1e, located just 40 light-years from our home planet, is being considered one of the strongest contenders to hold alien life.

Dr Lee, currently serving as the chief engineer for the Solar System Exploration Directorate at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, urged astronauts to prepare themselves for alien life different from life on Earth.