Astronauts and Aliens

50 years ago on February 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn strapped in to the top of a 94-foot-tall Atlas rocket at Cape Canaveral in Florida and blasted into space, making him the first American to orbit Earth and paving the way to future manned exploration of space. Over the years there have been several incidents involving sightings of unidentified objects by astronauts, but those from the first few years of NASA’s space program will always be of most interest to researchers. Of all witnesses, those who were the pioneers of our manned space program are among the highest caliber in the world, so when they claim encounters with unidentified objects and events that leave them believing we are not alone in the universe people pay closer attention.

When it comes to UFO sightings the reliability of witnesses is the most argued point by skeptics. The simple fact is that your average witness lacks the technical and scientific experience to identify the difference between something which simply looks strange and something that is truly out of the ordinary. The exceptions to this are witnesses who have specific training and familiarity with identifying and documenting precise details of objects or incidents, or who possess important scientific and technical knowledge to recognize the difference of something that is truly strange. Astronauts and pilots rank high among this short list of convincing witnesses.

Although John Glenn never said he witnessed any UFOs, in an interview in 2000 he did say “I believe certain reports of flying saucers to be legitimate." At least seven of the astronauts in the Mercury and Apollo missions did have intriguing sightings of objects, most of which were recorded on mission audio transcripts and accompanied by video or photographs taken by the astronauts themselves. Gordon Cooper, who flew the longest spaceflight of the Mercury program, was adamant about his experiences with UFOs and his belief in extraterrestrial life all the way to his death in October of 2004. Even before his experiences in space, Cooper spoke about sightings he had in the 1950’s while he was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. But he wasn’t the only one to be so outspoken on the issue of UFOs.

Dr. Edgar Mitchell, the sixth astronaut to walk on the moon, not only was a firm believer in the possibility that many UFOs are actually alien craft, but also subscribed to the belief in many other areas of paranormal study, including mystical healing, remote viewing, and psychic abilities. His sightings of UFOs during his time at NASA have become famous worldwide, especially as he is one of the only remaining astronauts from the earlier missions who have gone on record with them for so long. In one of his most powerful statements, Mitchell declared that “many of the thousands of UFOs recorded since the 1940s belong to visitors from other planets." Many of the things he says may strike people as impossible and crazy, but this is someone who’s credibility and experience is impossible to argue with. He isn’t just someone looking for attention or hoping to sell his story to some reality show.

Of all astronauts in the last half-century of manned space programs, Neil Armstrong is surely the one who will likely be remembered the most for being the first human to step on to another planet, but was also an astronaut who reported UFO sightings and has discussed his belief in the reality of alien beings. In a 1999 interview, Armstrong was asked his thoughts on UFOs and aliens, and he commented “We have no proof, But if we extrapolate, based on the best information we have available to us, we have to come to the conclusion that ... other life probably exists out there and perhaps in many places.”

Despite the lack of “proof-positive” for the existence of UFOs or alien life, the notion that we are the single and greatest thing in the vastness of the universe is a pretty arrogant stance to take – regardless of whether you believe we have in fact been visited or not. It may be easy to dismiss an average witness of something strange in the skies, but when it comes to the integrity of these astronauts it’s difficult to argue with ­­their opinions on the matter. So for anyone of us here on planet earth who have ever looked up and wondered if something was looking back, seen a strange object streak across the sky, or simply believes that there’s more out there than just us… rest assured, not only are you not alone in your belief, but you’re in very good company among the pioneers of our space age!