--- title: "NASA’s JPL Director Weighs in on Those UFO Hearings" description: "Heck Naw When a reporter bluntly asked the director of NASA and CalTech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory if she had ever seen or had knowledge of alien crafts, she laughed and said no — but that doesn't mean she thinks we're alone in the universe. \"Have you seen spacecraft made from outside this world?\" a reporter […]" date: "2023-08-20" modified: "2023-08-20" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-jpl-director-ufos" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "JPL" - "NASA" - "the digest" - "ufos" --- # NASA’s JPL Director Weighs in on Those UFO Hearings ![When a reporter asked the director of JPL if she had ever seen or had knowledge of alien crafts, she laughed and said no.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Absolutely Not When a reporter bluntly asked Laurie Leshin, the director of NASA and CalTech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, if she had ever seen or had knowledge of alien spacecraft, she laughed — but that doesn't mean she thinks we're alone in the universe. "Have you seen spacecraft made from outside this world?" a reporter from [Phoenix-based broadcaster *Fox 10*]() asked Leshin. "Absolutely not," Leshin replied, laughing and shaking her head. "No." "Has anyone ever talked about that with you?" the journalist pressed. "No," she said. ## Diplomatic Plates The interview demonstrated that the JPL director has a knack for diplomacy as she was asked about recent [congressional hearings]() in which [whistleblowers claimed]() that the government was covering up evidence of extraterrestrial UFOs that crash-landed on Earth. Last month for instance, Air Force veteran David Grusch told the House Oversight Committee during an eyebrow-raising hearing that the government had been recovering alien spacecraft over recent decades, efforts that were kept from the public. The hearing garnered a significant amount of media coverage, flooding social media with ridiculous and far-fetched [theories about the possible existence of aliens](). "I mean, obviously, there's lots of interest," Leshin told the broadcaster. "Our interest is in following the scientific evidence in looking for life elsewhere, and I think we have the chance in our lifetimes to answer that question." "Whether it’s intelligent life — that would be very interesting, obviously," she continued. Translation: either she hasn't seen any extraterrestrial evidence of what the government calls "unidentified aerial phenomena" (UAPs) — or she can't talk about it if she has. ## Life On Mars That said, Leshin made it clear that she can be counted among the growing ranks of people who [believe it's entirely possible there's extraterrestrial life]() out there — and that her colleagues are as well. "One of our biggest ambitions at JPL is to find life elsewhere," she told *Fox 10*. "We're trying to explore all kinds of places in our solar system and beyond that might have life." "If you’re a scientist, the biggest question you can ask is, 'Are we alone in the universe?'" Leshin continued. "So that is what we’re trying to answer, \[and\] we're on the precipice of it." **More on UFOs:** [*That UFO Whistleblower Apparently Had a Psychiatric Detention*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()