House Holds Another Hearing On Possibility Of Alien Life

The National Journal (5/22, Roller, Subscription Publication, 561K) some legislators made light of the topic, astronomer Seth Shostak defended the validity of the topic based on the number of alien worlds the Kepler telescope has discovered. Committee Chairman Lamar Smith reportedly was very interested in the topic, which was contrasted to his “much less sympathetic” views on climate change. While the article finds that there is nothing inherently wrong the amount of hearings on space topics, it does ask why there has been so little on the “premier scientific debate” of the day.