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When UFOs Arrive
www.popularmechanics.com ^ | February 2004 | BY JIM WILSON

Posted on 02/11/2004 9:41:52 AM PST by Momaw Nadon

The U.S. and other world governments already have detailed secret plans for first contact.

When UFOs land, a series of plans created to deal with nuclear emergencies and biological attacks will be activated.

Within the scientific community, the question is no longer whether extraterrestrial life exists, but if ET is smart enough to do long division. Scientists are of two minds regarding the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Skeptics acknowledge simple life-forms might be found on other planets, but insist that intelligent life is unique to Earth. Their belief is based on the assumption that Earth possesses unique physical attributes, including a magnetic field that deflects cosmic rays and a moon that absorbs asteroids. Together, these protective features make Earth a rare safe harbor--one that nurtured the evolution of primitive life-forms into intelligent beings. The opposing camp sees the prospect for discovering alien life in more mathematical terms. Its touchstone is the Drake Equation, which links the probability of discovering extraterrestrial intelligence to factors such as the size of the universe and the number of stars with earthlike planets. With the discovery of each new planet beyond Earth's solar system--there are now more than 100--the odds of encountering intelligent alien life increase. Governments and international organizations around the world have taken notice of the changing odds. No governmental official has gone on record claiming that UFOs are real, let alone a threat. Yet with little public fanfare, they have begun preparing for the single most important event in human history: first contact. That is, the moment earthlings discover incontrovertible proof that they are not alone.

Early Warning
Unless ET materializes from another dimension in the middle of the Super Bowl, humans most likely will have some advance warning of its arrival. How much time we get to straighten up for extraterrestrial company depends upon who spots ET first.

The privately funded SETI Institute uses radio telescopes owned by observatories around the world to sweep the sky for signals broadcast by advanced civilizations. If ET has read Emily Post, or her intergalactic equivalent, and calls ahead, we could have years, even decades, to prepare for first contact. Unfortunately, the current SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project can afford to look at only small swatches of the sky, so any extraterrestrial courtesy calls probably will be missed.

A more likely scenario is that the U.S. Air Force would spot ET's spacecraft as it traverses the void between the Earth and the moon. Using powerful radar and optical telescopes in Hawaii, Greenland, Florida and the Indian Ocean, the Air Force Space Command tracks satellites, monitors missile launches, and spots baseball- and larger-size bits of orbiting debris with the hope of preventing it from perforating a space shuttle or the International Space Station. If ET turns up on Space Command's radar, it would mean the alien visitors are only hours or minutes away.

A Proposed Welcoming Committee

The International Academy of Astronautics in Paris maintains a list of volunteers willing to help world governments if ET arrives. Most are astronomers. Here is the team that PM would prefer to see on the job. Shown counterclockwise from the center are: Sen. John Glenn, American Representative. As the first American to orbit the Earth and an elected political leader, the senator is the obvious choice to lead the American delegation. Frank Drake, Science Officer. Creator of the Drake Equation and a driving force behind the SETI project, Drake would represent the world's scientific community. Hal Puthoff, Powerplant Engineering. An expert on zero-point energy, a means of extracting limitless power from the quantum vacuum without violating the known laws of physics, Puthoff would understand how ET powers its craft.

Sheila E. Widnall, Weapons Systems. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who served as Secretary of the Air Force in the 1990s, Widnall would be able to assess ET's weapons. Ning Li, Propulsion Systems. A former NASA scientist, Li devised the theory that explains how the electromagnetic force that we use every day might also be harnessed to manipulate gravity. Perhaps ET uses similar technology. K. Eric Drexler, Structural Systems. A trailblazer in the now fast-growing field of nanotechnology--building materials atom by atom--Drexler pioneered the idea of smart materials, which ET would doubtlessly also use in its craft. Jane Goodall, Communications Officer. Having devoted her life to the study of chimpanzees, primatologist Goodall has proved her ability to communicate with intelligent nonhumans.

Countdown To Contact
The broad-brush outline for Earth's response to the first alien encounter is set out in an international agreement called the "Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence." Written by a committee of scientists organized by the SETI Institute, the declaration spells out what astronomers should do, and what they should avoid doing, immediately after first contact.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the agreement is that astronomers who sign on to the declaration agree to keep the news of an imminent contact under their hat until the astronomy community and authorities have been notified.

The declaration also establishes fairly specific guidelines regarding the protection of the radio frequencies that alien civilizations might use to communicate with Earth. As soon as a radio signal is confirmed as originating from an extraterrestrial source, the International Telecommunications Union would ask governments around the world to forbid use of that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is hoped that ET will have sufficiently studied human habits to understand that calling earthlings on the frequencies used for microwave ovens and garage door openers will be interpreted as a belligerent act.

Close Encounter
Around 1999 the first contact protocols were put to the test. For 12 hours, SETI astronomers marveled at the prospect that their golden moment had arrived. A signal that repeated in an organized pattern was detected beaming straight at the Earth from 1 million miles in space.

The first priority was to alert radio astronomers around the world to redirect their telescopes. The signal from the distant stationary object quickly faded as the relentless rotation of the Earth swept it out of the telescope's listening range. Douglas Vakoch, the SETI Institute's social scientist responsible for preparing Earth's reply to an extraterrestrial message, tells POPULAR MECHANICS what happened next: "At this point, all of our discussions were internal to our team. We didn't want to cry wolf. Then, in the midst of the process, we get a call from The New York Times." So much for the secrecy provision of the SETI protocol. Within hours, the story evaporated. The SETI team identified the mystery signal as a data transmission from SOHO, a sun-watching observatory on an almost-stationary orbit about 1 million miles from Earth.

Vakoch says he was not surprised that the story of the possible alien contact leaked so quickly. "These guidelines have no legal force. They have been drafted in the hope of getting broader discussion."

As far as the U.S. government is concerned, that discussion started and ended more than 40 years ago. Regardless of how the world's astronomy community might want to handle first contact, Uncle Sam has ideas of his own. And they rest on the assumption that ET is first and foremost an illegal alien.

Presumed Dangerous
The question of how humanity might react to its first contact with intelligent aliens was officially raised in the late 1950s by the then newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Curious as to how discoveries about the origin of the universe might affect society as a whole, NASA contracted with the Brookings Institution, a leading think tank, to research the question. Only a small part of its 100-page answer, which came to be known as "The Brookings Report," dealt with alien encounter. But it contained a stern warning. "Anthropological files contain many examples of societies, sure of their place in the universe, which have disintegrated when they had to associate with previously unfamiliar societies espousing different ideas and different life ways; others that survived such an experience usually did so by paying the price of changes in values and attitudes and behavior."

In 1972, as engineers prepared the first space mission that would travel outside of Earth's solar system, NASA decided to ignore warnings in the 1960 "Brookings Report" about the dangers inherent in contact with an advanced alien race. Instead, the space agency sent an invitation for extraterrestrials to visit Earth. A gold-anodized aluminum plaque engraved with a map showing the location of Earth was attached to the Pioneer 10 spacecraft. When it sent its last message, in January 2003, it was more than 7 billion miles along on a trip that will take it to the star Aldebaran.

State Of Emergency
If ET turns up at NASA's doorstep bearing that invitation, it is in for a surprise. Instead of getting a handshake from the head of NASA, it will be handcuffed by an FBI agent dressed in a Biosafety Level 4 suit. Instead of sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House, the alien will be whisked away to the Department of Agriculture's Animal Disease Center on Plum Island, off the coast of New York's Long Island. Here it will be poked and probed by doctors from the National Institutes of Health. A Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST) will tow away its spacecraft.

Unfriendly as this welcome may seem, it is the chain of events that most likely will follow the visitor's arrival. Unique as the appearance of an alien-piloted spacecraft may be, the event incorporates elements of three situations familiar to federal emergency response workers: a plane crash, the release of radioactive material, and the capture of an animal suspected of harboring a contagious disease. Responsibilities in these situations are spelled out in Presidential Executive Orders.

Unless it is spewing exhaust, the craft would be assumed to be nuclear powered. This determination would put NEST technicians in charge of securing the craft and moving it to a DOE facility, most likely in New Mexico, where it would be in close proximity to the Sandia and Los Alamos nuclear laboratories and the White Sands Missile Range. International agreements also put NEST on call if the craft lands out of the United States, as happened in 1978 when a Soviet satellite leaking nuclear fuel landed in the Canadian wilderness.

NEST, however, would operate in the background. In a nuclear emergency, the FBI is put in charge of public safety, public health and public information. Those, at least, are the plans. How things might actually turn out is anyone's guess.

Skeptics often ask why UFO sightings seem to take place only in remote locations instead of on busy city streets. Perhaps ET knows what earthlings have in mind when it lands.


TOPICS: UFO's
KEYWORDS: 40ftsatellite; ackack; airforce; alien; aliens; arrival; arrive; biosafetylevel4; brookingsreport; closeencounter; contact; contagious; dangerous; departmentofenergy; dod; doe; drakeequation; earth; emergency; et; etphonehome; executiveorders; extraterrestrial; fbi; federalemergency; firstcontact; flyingobject; flyingsaucer; government; hugh; illegal; illegalaliens; intelligence; international; invasion; klaatubaradanikto; losalamos; martiallaw; military; nasa; nationalsecurity; nest; nuclear; panic; plan; plans; plumisland; president; probingaliens; protocol; quarantine; quarantined; saucer; secrecy; secrecyprovision; secret; secretplans; series; seti; setiprotocol; sitchin; space; spacecraft; stateofemergency; technology; tinfoilhat; ufo; ufos; un; unidentified; visitor; visitors; welcomingcommittee; whitehouse; y; zechariasitchin
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To: realpatriot71
Since there has not been any contact this leads to the reasonable conclusion that we are (1) either alone or (2) ahead of the rest of the universe.

Or: (3) there are advanced races out there that know we exist, but have no interest in talking to us.

161 posted on 02/11/2004 2:21:24 PM PST by Modernman ("When you want to fool the world, tell the truth." -Otto von Bismarck)
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To: JoJo Gunn
We're not gonna poke and prod anything with the technology to get here, unless they say it's okay.

Having the technology to get here does not mean they have the technology, or are carrying the technology, to defend themselves. Consider a Martian crossing the Rover. One good bite out of it and it's finished.

162 posted on 02/11/2004 2:22:30 PM PST by templar
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To: realpatriot71
No, we have had constant contact, a thousand times a day, we are ourselves the PRODUCT of contact, and we are by no means the first advanced society ever to exist on THIS planet, and those previous ones might as well be ETs as far as we are concerned, because we aren't descended from them ...
163 posted on 02/11/2004 2:26:04 PM PST by Chris Talk (What Earth now is, Mars once was. What Mars now is, Earth will become.)
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To: Chris Talk
Come on now, be nice. Most Christians are Catholic or Orthodox, and there is very much of merit in these works and many others that the CATHOLICS, remember, failed to choose out for their "New Testament," 1100 years before the first Protestant ever lived.

I'm being unkind by telling the truth? The Roman Catholic Church has really only existed, as it is currently known today, since 538 AD, when the RCC took control of Rome and much of the Roman empire. The church in Rome corrupted Christianity by the accepting of man's apostate/pagan traditions over Biblical based principles described in the Bible, which was defined before the RCC's claim to the sole authority on "christianity". The RCC during the time of its greatest power, restricted the the Scripture, and changed the definition of of Scripture, saying that scripture can only be interpreted by the Church. RED FLAG!

The RCC does NOT define Christian Canon, no matter what they claim. The RCC defines "catholic canon". Because of the supression of the Word of the Lord for so many years, and the generaly illiteracy of the times, that the true Christian Canon did not materialize again in a form that the common people couild read until Luther and the reformation. So, the fact that RCC held onto these beliefs years and years before the Protestant Reformation, has no bearing on the correctness of said belief.

164 posted on 02/11/2004 2:29:58 PM PST by realpatriot71 (It's time to build a freakin' wall!)
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To: Modernman
Or: (3) there are advanced races out there that know we exist, but have no interest in talking to us.

Perhaps, BUT then one has to assume that every single intelligent race that has found us decided to leave us alone, and since it is reasonable to assume at four intelligent civilizations have evolved since the dawn of the universe, one has to assume that all four intelligent societies agrees to leave us alone. Also, this assumes that any advanced alien race has morals/ethics/ideals . . .

That's the problem with "option (3)"

165 posted on 02/11/2004 2:34:14 PM PST by realpatriot71 (It's time to build a freakin' wall!)
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To: Chris Talk
we are ourselves the PRODUCT of contact, and we are by no means the first advanced society ever to exist on THIS planet, and those previous ones might as well be ETs as far as we are concerned, because we aren't descended from them ...

Interesting. You think that not only have we been contacted, but rather we, humans, are a product of said alien contact?

166 posted on 02/11/2004 2:35:50 PM PST by realpatriot71 (It's time to build a freakin' wall!)
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To: realpatriot71
Sure. And the elohim [celestials] formed Adam of the dust of the ground, and breathed into him the breath of life, and he became a living being.

You are not your own, you are bought with a price.

We are his people, the SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE.

We are property. A certain class of Angels are the Watchers, and they do have UFO's to get around in.

Even non-believers in the Bible, would be forced to a similar viewpoint by UFO's if they dared to face it rather than by having the govt. sweep it under the rug for us.
167 posted on 02/11/2004 2:40:46 PM PST by Chris Talk (What Earth now is, Mars once was. What Mars now is, Earth will become.)
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To: Chris Talk
Do you believe in a supreme being - God?
168 posted on 02/11/2004 2:43:58 PM PST by realpatriot71 (It's time to build a freakin' wall!)
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To: realpatriot71
The Roman Catholic Church has really only existed, as it is currently known today, since 538 AD, when the RCC took control of Rome and much of the Roman empire. The church in Rome corrupted Christianity by the accepting of man's apostate/pagan traditions over Biblical based principles described in the Bible, which was defined before the RCC's claim to the sole authority on "christianity".

That's according to one belief system.

An alternate view is that the Roman Catholic Church saved more souls by adapting their pagan traditions to Christian beliefs, thereby making the transition from pagan to Christian less traumatic for the masses.

I'm sure there are any number of other explanations, and I'm sure each and every proponent of each and every faith firmly believes he or she is absolutely correct and everyone outside that faith is dead wrong and on his way to Hell (or wherever nonbelievers go).

Could we just go back to talking about ETs now?

169 posted on 02/11/2004 2:54:56 PM PST by reformed_democrat
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To: reformed_democrat
That's according to one belief system.

That's according to history.

An alternate view is that the Roman Catholic Church saved more souls by adapting their pagan traditions to Christian beliefs, thereby making the transition from pagan to Christian less traumatic for the masses.

Of course this is a possible explanation, but whomever takes such a stance ceases to be Christian, as definied by the Bible. So, why should Christians let those who no longer follow the Bible, and no longer Christian, dictate to Christians what is and is not Christian. It's laughable. It's be like me defining what books and teaching are and are not Holy to a Hindu (and being serious about it).

Could we just go back to talking about ETs now?

Sure

170 posted on 02/11/2004 3:00:59 PM PST by realpatriot71 (It's time to build a freakin' wall!)
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To: realpatriot71
, BUT then one has to assume that every single intelligent race that has found us decided to leave us alone

Ah, good. ET stuff.

One theory suggests that races capable of FTL travel reserve contact until a race has reached FTL ability.

Or, perhaps we're the first to have developed enough to contemplate space travel. We may be the first members of the UP (United Planets).

171 posted on 02/11/2004 3:02:01 PM PST by reformed_democrat
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To: realpatriot71
Yes, I believe in YHWH, the God of Israel, called "the Lord" in the KJV.

"The chariots of the Celestials [elohim] are twenty thousand; YHWH's is one of them." --Psalms
172 posted on 02/11/2004 3:02:50 PM PST by Chris Talk (What Earth now is, Mars once was. What Mars now is, Earth will become.)
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To: reformed_democrat
Or, perhaps we're the first to have developed enough to contemplate space travel. We may be the first members of the UP (United Planets).

That's a possible reasonable conclusion considering the original premise.

173 posted on 02/11/2004 3:03:51 PM PST by realpatriot71 (It's time to build a freakin' wall!)
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To: realpatriot71
I am unaware of anywhere in the Bible where "Christian" is defined at all, much less in the way you say.
174 posted on 02/11/2004 3:04:24 PM PST by Chris Talk (What Earth now is, Mars once was. What Mars now is, Earth will become.)
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To: null and void
Great. I'm doomed.

Rumor has it they prefer the lean meats. You'll be okay...I'm screwed though.

175 posted on 02/11/2004 3:06:29 PM PST by New Horizon (Bum..Bum-Ba-Bum-Bum-Bum...Bum-Bum-Bum.)
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To: Chris Talk
"The chariots of the Celestials [elohim] are twenty thousand; YHWH's is one of them." --Psalms

That sounds like "many gods". Do you believe in a single Holy and Supreme Being - none are greater - as God?

176 posted on 02/11/2004 3:06:42 PM PST by realpatriot71 (It's time to build a freakin' wall!)
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To: Modernman; realpatriot71
Since there has not been any contact this leads to the reasonable conclusion that we are (1) either alone or (2) ahead of the rest of the universe. ~ realpatriot71

Or: (3) there are advanced races out there that know we exist, but have no interest in talking to us. ~ Modernman

Or: (4) planets are very bad places, they have diseases, nasty natives, a deep gravity well, and poisonous atmospheres as often as not. Stick to the asteroids, they're sterile, easy to get to, easy to leave, and have all the resources you really need...

177 posted on 02/11/2004 3:12:05 PM PST by null and void (Yes on SB 1160 = No on your re-election)
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To: realpatriot71
Yes, but the only one [IMHO] we can know much about is YHWH, the God that made THIS world, the only god with whom WE have to do...

Since the Fall, the "god of this world" however is Satan, and I think Jesus called him that. I know Billy Graham does call Satan that.

I believe in many billions of celestial beings, "angels" and otherwise, and in thousands of UFO's based on this planet as well as the Moon, Mars, various moons of Mars, Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn etc.
178 posted on 02/11/2004 3:14:01 PM PST by Chris Talk (What Earth now is, Mars once was. What Mars now is, Earth will become.)
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To: New Horizon
Rumor has it they prefer the lean meats.

Great. My daughter's doomed...

179 posted on 02/11/2004 3:14:31 PM PST by null and void (Yes on SB 1160 = No on your re-election)
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To: Chris Talk
I am unaware of anywhere in the Bible where "Christian" is defined at all, much less in the way you say.

Like a dictionary? Christianity is not a religion, but rather a relationship between man and God. The Bible describes this relationship in great detail as well as how this relationship (God and Man) relates to the word of God. The Bible is clear that those who teach contrary to the Word of God, are not of God. The Bible is also clear that His people since the Resurrection has been those who've enetered into a relationship with Him by belief in Christ's scrifice.

So, the Bible is quite clear about (what a "Christian" is), the relationship one is to have with God, how a person in this relationship is to live, and how a person in this relationship uses the Word of Lord. Anything contrary to this is not, Christian.

180 posted on 02/11/2004 3:14:36 PM PST by realpatriot71 (It's time to build a freakin' wall!)
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