Whether or not Loeb actually believes his "alien spacecraft" hypothesis, the fact is he's getting plenty of airtime on TV and will presumably make a lot of money from a best-seller. One can't help but be reminded of Erik von Daniken: while real archeologists were trying to understand the meaning of the various Inca and Aztec artifacts, von Daniken was minting a small fortune with his absurd little books about aliens. Ordinary people are endlessly gullible in their ignorance, and it's only natural that from time to time people like Loeb come along to prey on that gullibility. And even better (because it's more convincing) if he believes his thesis himself. Either way, no one will remember Loeb a few years from now except as yet another illustration of how easy it is to succumb to an idee fix.