Do you believe?

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is a pretty big place. It harbors 200 to 400 billion stars and spans roughly 100,000 light-years from one edge to the other. (To put it in perspective, Earth is only about 8.3 light-minutes from our own star, the sun.) This is one reason why some scientists feel that alien civilizations are common in the galaxy, possibly numbering in the tens of thousands, and why a small band of astronomers have devoted themselves to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Yet other scientists think we humans are the only creatures in this vast neighborhood with the smarts and technology to communicate across space.

What do you think? Are there aliens in the Milky Way capable of communicating with us?


Aliens are out there, says former Nasa astronaut
A Nasa astronaut who has walked on the moon has claimed that UFOs are real and aliens have visited the earth.

By Laura Clout



Although there is no shortage of subscribers to theories that 'we are not alone’, the fact that Edgar Mitchell, who holds the joint record for the longest moon walk, is among them will come as a surprise to many.

Dr Mitchell, who holds two Bachelor of Science degrees and a doctorate in aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, made his comments during an interview with a UK radio station this week.

Asked whether he believed there was life on other planets, he replied: “Oh yes. There’s not much question at all that there is life throughout the universe. I’m totally sure we are not alone.”

The presenter for Birmingham-based Kerrang! Radio could be heard to inhale sharply, before Dr Mitchell continued that he had intelligence “that we have been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomenon is real - though it’s been covered up by governments for the last 60 years or so.”

Dr Mitchell spent nine hours on the moon on February 9 1971 as part of the Apollo 14 mission.

Although he has referred to the existence of extra-terrestrial before, this is the first time the former astronaut has given so much detail about his beliefs.

In a statement, Nasa said: “Nasa does not track UFOs. Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinion on this issue.”