NASA is hiring a new 'planetary protection officer' to defend Earth from alien matter, and the pay is a six-figure salary: as much as $187,000 a year.
When we are not sure whether aliens exist, why are we still hiring staff for protecting Earth? I do understand we have to take precautions. But when we don't have any proof why spend $187,000 a year?
Source: Nasa [sic] hiring new 'planetary protection officer' to defend Earth from alien matter - Times of India, Aug 3, 2017
As NASA prepares to send robotic and astronaut missions deeper into the solar system and beyond, protecting Earth from potentially disruptive or even invasive extraterrestrial organisms is becoming an ever more pressing concern. The US space agency has just posted a job vacancy which reads: "NASA is seeking qualified applicants for the Planetary Protection Officer position. This position is responsible for leading the planning, implementation and oversight of programs and projects devoted to the protection of
Planetary protection officer: NASA is hiring for the job, which comes with a six-figure salary

Planetary protection is a set of protocols adopted by NASA to avoid biological contamination of other places in the universe with earthly microbes, or vice versa, while also allowing for the potential return of samples or life to Earth.

If you have a deep and abiding interest in protecting Earth from microbes that may be floating around out there in space, then NASA