Meet man who faked documents, fooled NASA to become America’s ‘youngest astronaut’, earned medals for...

A well-known dialogue from the film 3 Idiots says, "School ke liye fees nahi, uniform lagta hai," meaning sometimes a uniform matters more than talent. This was certainly true for Robert Hunt, an American man who, during the 1980s, managed to fool the world simply by wearing the right clothes and telling believable lies.

Robert Hunt, originally from Medford, Massachusetts, pretended to be many things: a TV producer, Marine, senator, baseball star, and even a NASA astronaut. At his peak, he received honorary citizenship in Dublin, Ireland, in 1988 for his “heroic service” as a fighter pilot and astronaut.

In reality, Hunt had no military or space experience. He was just very good at pretending. “I was literally the best at what I did,” he said in a 2025 interview with Space.com.

Uniform, Lies, and a Childhood Dream
Hunt’s fascination with space began when he was seven, watching the Apollo 11 moon landing. As a teen during the Vietnam War, he would sneak into a naval hospital, wear old uniforms, and imagine himself as a soldier or astronaut.

He tried to join the Marines in 1979, but due to a paperwork error, he was sent home before completing training. Still, he didn’t give up on his dream. Instead, he began faking his way into military bases, using forged documents and uniforms to pose as a Marine pilot.

At one point, Hunt even pretended to be part of NASA's astronaut training. He gave lectures, showed burnt kitchen tiles claiming they came from a space shuttle, and spoke in detail about missions that never happened. He said he was scheduled to fly on the Atlantis shuttle.

In truth, it was all made up.

Caught in His Own Web
Hunt's lies began to fall apart in 1989 when a woman complained to police that he had convinced her son to join the Navy, only to later ask for $4,000 to help him leave through “Pentagon connections.” An investigation revealed that Hunt was never a real Marine or astronaut.

Police found military gear, fake NASA helmets, and even medals from wars that happened before Hunt was born. He was arrested and given a suspended sentence but continued his scams, once even pretending to lead the Navy’s elite SEAL Team Six.

Eventually, in the mid-1990s, Hunt was caught again and sent to prison. After the 9/11 attacks and stricter laws like the 2005 Stolen Valour Act, he gave up impersonation for good.

Now in his sixties, Hunt lives a quiet life in New Hampshire, working in construction. Looking back, he says he regrets hurting people but admits that, for a long time, the dream of being someone great kept him going.