US Congressional Staffers Sharon Kim Alex Brandt Alex Dinos and Corinne Bass Presentation Outline Alien Encounter on Earth History of US Alien Contact Friend or Foe First Contact ID: 162664
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Slide1
Recommendations for Alien Contact
U.S. Congressional Staffers Sharon Kim, Alex Brandt, Alex
Dinos
, and Corinne BassSlide2
Presentation Outline
Alien Encounter on Earth“History” of U.S. Alien ContactFriend or FoeFirst ContactProposed Plan
Military Response
Alien Discovery in Space
Spectrum of Scenarios
Initial Assessment
Friendly
Hostile
Proposed Plan
Effects of an Alien Encounter
Mass Panic
Economic
Religious
PoliticalSlide3
Alien Encounter on EarthSlide4
Alien Contact in U.S.
Roswell Incident, July 1947Strange metal debris discovered in the New Mexico desert, humanoid alien “bodies” recovered from a second site
After investigation, the Army said the debris was from a downed balloon
1970s: New witness testimony suggested government cover-up
1994 & 1997: Air Force releases 2 reports explaining the incident
Government cover-up is “superficially plausible” (Davies)
But what do we do if aliens really come to Earth?
http://www.cufos.org/airforce.htmSlide5
Friend or Foe?
“If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans…Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach.”
-
Stephen Hawking
Aliens might:
Look and behave like us
Have evolved in a Darwinian fashion, competing for resources
Be artificially intelligent or synthetic
Is there reason to be optimistic?
Aliens might have advanced past the point of violence Opportunities for exchange of knowledge/technologySlide6
Friendly Encounters in Pop CultureSlide7
Hostile Encounters in Pop CultureSlide8
We’ll know of an E.T. presence before it even enters Earth’s atmosphere
SETI Institute uses radio telescopes to sweep space for any alien signalsPost-Detection TaskgroupStipulate the procedure immediately following first contactNotify authorities (U.S. government, UN, etc.)
First ContactSlide9
Depending on the scale, we’d like to estimate the aliens’ landing site(s)
A single landing site for one small craft might be easily contained or investigatedProjected landings at every major city on Earth would automatically be deemed a threatDo not immediately attack, but presume they’re dangerous
First ContactSlide10
Proposed plan—COPUOS
Conduct consultations open to all interested States on what to say
UN General Assembly should ultimately decide
Messages should be on behalf of all Humankind
Should have a long-term institutional framework for communications
No communication to ETI should be sent by any State until appropriate international consultations have taken place.
States should draw on the expertise of scientists, scholars, and others with relevant knowledge
http://www.setileague.org/iaaseti/reply.htmSlide11
Proposed Plan
Does the alien life form pose an immediate threat to humanity?
Have our peoples’ initial actions posed a threat to alien life that could trigger conflict?
Self-preserving measures should be taken first if either of these questions ring true:
Evacuate civilians near the alien threat
If attack is in the US, prepare emergency military response team
If attack is outside the US, retreat military occupancy to major cities and prepare to aide allies if need be
Important to note that a global military plan of action will most likely be necessary to overcome a large scale invasionSlide12
Military Response
U.S. Air Force is the most equipped to handle an alien threatMost powerful gun in the world might be our best land option:http://natgeotv.com/uk/alien-invasion/videos/most-powerful-gun-in-the
Nuclear weapons should only be used as an absolutely last resort due to collateral damageSlide13
Spectrum of Possible Scenarios for Encountering Alien Life in Space
Evidence of past life found on another planet
Full-blown Earth-like civilization on another planet
Radio signal
Satellite or probe
Fleet of shipsSlide14
Hostile Alien
Encounters in Space:
While our search for life on other planets continues, we must address the possibilities of what we might encounter.
As Ridley Scott's
Alien
franchise considers, an unprepared encounter with hostile alien life could be fatal.Slide15
Proposed Plan of Interaction:
Step 1: Attempt Contact
Even if the first interaction is hostile, an attempt at contact should be made. If communication is possible, then there is a chance of peaceful negotiation.
The nation's top computer programmers, linguists, translators, and psychologists should be employed in the attempt at communication. Keep in mind that an alien species may have different sensory organs than humans, so communication might not be auditory/visual.Slide16
Step 2: Positive Negotiation
If communication is possible, the aliens' reason for attack/desired outcome should be discussed.
- If
information
is desired, we should proceed with caution and agree to trade scientific knowledge.
- If
resources
are desired, we should proceed with caution and discuss the possibilities of trade. If an advantageous trade can be made, we could improve the safety of our planet/quality of life
What Do They Want?Slide17
Slide18
Step 3: Counter-Attack
If communication is possible but peaceful negotiation is not, we should inform the opposing force that we intend to defend our planet and its occupants by whatever means necessary. If a surrender is not offered, we should attack.
- If the offending party is a fleet far from its home planet, we should eliminate the immediate threat and research the possibility of a future second fleet.
- If the offending party is near its home planet, we should attempt to research the planet/species as a whole. Slide19
Step 4: If Communication is Not Possible
If the alien species is unable/unwilling to communicate and continues to attack, we should launch a counter-attack
Counter-Attack: A committee should be formed - not just military leaders but also biologists, behaviorists, psychologists, astrophysicists - anyone that could help us understand. Slide20
Considerations:
Even if direct communication is not possible, we may be able to gather information that could gain us an advantage. We should aim to detect:
- Where they came from
- How they communicate
- Physical weaknesses
- Social
organization/leadership
- Weaponry
- Transportation/energy
sources
used
Slide21
Initial Assessment of Friendly Aliens
Initial assessment must be that they are hostile—we proceed with caution.Deliver some sort of generic, pre-recorded message/sound waves/
morse
code and wait for a response
Regardless of the response, we must decide if it’s worth it to take a chance and see how the first man-alien interaction pans out
.Slide22
Initial Assessment of Friendly Aliens
Space explorers should be required to sign some type of document stating whether or not they would agree to approach intelligent life forms if the chance came up during a mission.
There will definitely be many enthusiastic volunteers for first contact after sighting.
Assuming aliens are friendly after initial contact, we proceed to negotiate with their kind.
If they are interested in working with us, we follow through with one of the following plans...Slide23
Proposed Plan
Plan 1: IntegrationTake a few aliens back to our planet and integrate them into Earth life without the public knowing.
Negotiate an
agreement with the aliens
to further integrate if mission is successful
Otherwise, return them to
homeworld
If we come to an agreement with the aliens, we then take several careful measures to inform the public.Slide24
Proposed Plan
Plan 2: Prior Public KnowledgeReturn after the alien sighting without any of the new
life forms
Inform
the public that there exists intelligent life in other parts of the
universe
We would take further action depending on the decision/agreement we created with national security and the government
.
Plan 3: Post Public Knowledge
Same as plan 2 except our government takes action long before the public is informedSlide25
Proposed Plan
Plan 4: Test and ReturnFriendly life forms are benevolent and agree to some tests and interviews (if possible)
Perform on Earth or in space depending on technology
Important to maintain peaceful relationship despite findings
We analyze the results and findings and determine if there are any other measures we may need to take or what we can do in the future regarding this newly found alien life.Slide26
Things to Note
We can never be absolutely positive of whether any alien encounters will be friendly Do benefits
(potentially beneficial relationship with the aliens) outweigh the costs (deceit that may potentially result in harmful interaction
)?
Difficult to prove aliens are friendly to public because of portrayal in the media
Better off keeping the public uninformed for some time
In this case only the U.S. would know of Extra Terrestrial life, should other countries’ government agencies be informed?Slide27
Friendly interaction can prove to be very productive for the country and even the world.
If aliens are able to mold themselves into our society, they can be a part of the work force and be beneficial to the economy.
They
can also help us advance in space exploration and many other aspects of society.
Not to mention they can give us hints about what else is out there in the universe.Slide28
Effects of an Alien EncounterSlide29
Mass Panic
Initial shock will likely be replaced by a united frontExamples:Pearl Harbor9/11Humanity possesses survival instinctSlide30
Mass Panic
In situations like a nuclear emergency, the FBI is put in charge of public health, safety, and information; how they will manage an alien threat is anybody’s guessAn official response should be made as soon as possible to prepare citizens and avoid mass panic/media frenzyGive the public enough information to ensure their safety, but not cause rioting and hysteria
What you don’t want the public to see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czy4RjcrpFMSlide31
Economic Effects
Paul Krugman, an economics professor at Princeton, thinks another world war or alien invasion might actually be good for the economy:Initially, huge negative shock
GDP will then grow by an unprecedented quantity as the entire world gears for war
World War II and the Great Depression on a worldwide scale
U
nemployment falls and inflation take a backseat to economic growthSlide32
What about religion?
Christianity most challenged by the concept of ET beingsBut a survey of 1,135 people of several faiths showed that alien life wouldn’t disrupt their core beliefs
“…Contact
with extraterrestrial intelligence will expand the existing religious
vision…”
-
Ted Peters, Lutheran theologian
Pope’s astronomer: "Any entity—no matter how many tentacles it has—has a soul." Would he baptize an alien? "Only if they asked.“
Davies (2010) believes any theology with an insistence on human uniqueness is doomed, but religion is adaptable
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/10/earth-close-encounter-aliens-extraterrestrials
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/sep/17/pope-astronomer-baptise-aliensSlide33
Political Decisions for the
WorldProblem
: Delayed information release would result in distrust between nations and independent action.
Solution
: Policies before contact requiring public sharing of information about detection and establishing one point of contact for the aliens.
Problem
: Managing extreme political and religious reactions against alien cultural influences.
Solution
: Policies and law enforcement to limit the effects of extreme behavior
Problem: Who speaks for the Earth, and what should we say?Solution: Use a preferred channel to help establish greater mutual confidence and prevent sending mixed signals. The U.N., as the most universal intergovernmental organization, would determine what to say
http://www.setileague.org/iaaseti/decision.pdfSlide34
Other Unconsidered Possibilities
Aliens already present or were once present on our planetUnderground monolithAlien ship buried under iceAliens threaten to destroy Earth without even landingNeed for missile defenses in space?Slide35
Questions?