--- title: "Astronaut: If You Think UFOs Are Aliens, You’re an Idiot" description: "Chris Hadfield discusses unidentified aerial phenomena sightings. Read the Canadian astronaut's opinion on UFO hype and alien foolishness." date: "2021-05-25" modified: "2021-06-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronaut-ufos-aliens-idiot" categories: - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "aliens" - "chris hadfield" - "the digest" - "UFO" - "ufos" --- # Astronaut: If You Think UFOs Are Aliens, You’re an Idiot ![In a recent CBC interview, retired astronaut Chris Hadfield shared his opinion on the recent emergence of "unidentified aerial phenomena" sightings.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Sky Mysteries In a [recent *CBC* interview](), retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield shared his opinion on the elevated public interest in "unidentified aerial phenomena" sightings. Hadfield had a clear answer as to whether extraterrestrial lifeforms were behind the mysterious incidents. If you think they're aliens, he says, you're a moron. "Obviously, I've seen countless things in the sky that I don't understand," Hadfield told the Canadian broadcaster. The retired astronaut also was a pilot for both the Royal Canadian Airforce and US Navy. "But to see something in the sky that you don't understand and then to immediately conclude that it's intelligent life from another solar system is the height of foolishness and lack of logic," he added. ## Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Other experts [have suggested]() that adversaries could be behind the mysterious sightings, suggesting other nations like Russia or China may be invading US airspace using highly advanced technologies. Even if aliens aren't behind the UFOs, that doesn't mean we should discard the possibility that we are not alone in the universe, according to Hadfield. "But definitively up to this point, we have found no evidence of life anywhere except Earth, and we're looking," he told the *CBC*. The topic of UFOs has hit a fever pitch as of late. Following a [bombshell 2017 report]() by *The New York Times* that uncovered the Pentagon's shadowy UFO program, several unclassified videos taken by military pilots have surfaced that appear to show inexplicable objects that appeared to defy the laws of physics. [Several]()[ pilots]() have come forward since, sharing their stories of what they saw — and lawmakers are taking their reports more seriously than ever. Last year, Congress set up a "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force" to investigate these reports and is set to release a report [some time next month](). Until then, obviously, we'll have to take any claims or theories with a healthy grain of salt. **READ MORE:** [Chris Hadfield on exploring Mars and the growing conversation about UFOs]() \[*CBC*\] **More on UFOs:** *[Barack Obama: “When It Comes to Aliens, There Are Things I Just Can’t Tell You on Air”]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()