Former NASA astronaut Winston Scott has said he is certain intelligent alien life exists elsewhere in the universe and has not ruled out the possibility of combat in space.
Scott, who flew on two space missions in the 1990s, made the comments on Jesse Watters Prime Time, a US talk show. He said he believes humans are not the only intelligent life form in the universe.
Belief in Extraterrestrial Life
Scott said: "I do believe there is life someplace else out there in the universe. Now, whether or not it's visiting us here on Earth or not is a topic of discussion."
He also referenced the film alien E.T., saying: "I think [he's] out there someplace [...] I'm a numbers person and with all the billions and billions and billions of planets out there, we cannot be the only one that has intelligent life."
Rising Tensions in Space
Scott described growing tensions between the US and Russia, noting that "Russia is our partner in terms of the International Space Station, but they are not our ally in other geopolitical issues."
He also said the US is engaged in a militarily oriented space race with China, explaining that "we live in a world where we have to be prepared to defend ourselves militarily."
Future of Space Exploration
Scott said: "We hope that we do not see combat in space, but I would not rule it out. I certainly hope that space can be a unifying place that brings people together, but we will see what happens; the proof is in the pudding."
Private individuals such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have invested billions of dollars in their own space programmes, and NASA now faces competition in the race to dominate space. This follows reports that the US wants to create Star Trek-style space travel at warp speed to hunt down aliens, including a declassified 2010 report on developing warp drives.
