NASA Chief Keeps an Open Mind on Alien Life, Eyes 'Sputnik Moment' on Strange Skies

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The administrator of NASA, Jared Isaacman, has declined to rule out the existence of alien life, according to a report in the Daily Star, saying the public must remain open minded as reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) climb.

Mr. Isaacman, speaking in a recent interview with Blake Burman on NewsNation's "The Hill," suggested that the rise in reported sightings in recent years might reflect greater knowledge, or simply a public more willing to accept that life could exist elsewhere. The report says he described it as important to keep such possibilities in view.

Asked whether any recent videos struck him as potentially extraterrestrial or military, he said it was in some sense NASA's job to ask whether humanity is alone. If the answer proved to be aliens, he said, NASA should have a seat at the table.

Pressed for his gut feeling, the administrator leaned toward more earthly explanations. According to the report, he pointed to natural phenomena that can be observed, and to the chance of a "Sputnik Moment" in which people are testing stealthy or next-generation technologies.

The report states that NASA has held its seat since President Donald Trump earlier this year called for the release of UFO and UAP files, an effort now known as the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, or PURSUE. Service members, civilian personnel and contractors are purportedly cleared to disclose information once protections such as non-disclosure agreements have been waived.

This week, the Pentagon released its latest batch of declassified files from federal agencies, some dating to the late 1940s. It described them as including "never-before-seen" material, and said further files will follow on a rolling basis.