But it's a scientific hope...

Many materialists/atheists deride religious faith, saying they prefer that which can been sensed and "proven."

Like, say, life on other worlds. We'll find it sooner or later. Honestly. We just have to keep looking:

Less than a week after NASA announced that its Phoenix Lander has positively identified water on Mars, the agency today dampened enthusiasm for the search for Martian life by announcing the probe has found a toxic chemical that is not friendly to life. Although media leaks of today's announcement started the buzz on indications that life could not exist on the planet, scientists inside and out of the Phoenix program hold out hope that Mars could still harbor organisms.

In other words, despite dozens of unmanned probes and millions of dollars spent on programs like SETI, we have no evidence there are any other 'privileged planets.' But because the worldview of some virtually requires E.T.'s existence, they "hold out hope." How is that any different than this:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:1-3

Despite the materialist posturing, at the foundation of everyone's worldview are assumptions that rest on faith and cannot be subjected to definitive scientific scrutiny. To paraphrase another verse, some trust in astronomy and some trust in aliens, but I trust in the name of the Lord our God.