Aliens exist, there’s no two ways about it. There are so many billions of stars out there in the universe that there must be all sorts of different forms of life. Will they be like you and me, made up of carbon and nitrogen? Maybe not. It’s possible they’re here right now and we simply can’t see them.
Dr Helen Sharman
On January 6, 2020, Dr Helen Sharman told the Observer Magazine that extraterrestrial life is bound to be somewhere in the universe.
As a British astronaut, Dr Sharman is a rare breed. Because the UK doesn’t have a manned spaceflight programme, she is one of only 7 British astronauts to date. She was also only 27 years of age when she spent a week in space, making her one of the youngest astronauts ever. And of course she was also the first British woman in space.
Her statement was unusually strong coming from one of the relative handful of humans who have ventured into space. Because of her unique perspective, her comments on the likelihood of intelligent life outside of Earth hold more gravitas than the average person’s opinion.
Her own website – helensharman.uk – makes a less bold claim on the likelihood of alien life:
There are billions of stars and numerous exoplanets so Helen thinks it is likely there are other lifeforms elsewhere in the Universe (but she does not believe that intelligent humanoid alien life is with us on Earth).
But the assertion is still clearly there – an astronaut has affirmed they believe in alien life.