# Alien space craft in our airspace, now what?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-space-craft-in-our-airspace-now-what/542118>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 6, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-space-craft-in-our-airspace-now-what/542118 "2010-06-06T00:58:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-space-craft-in-our-airspace-now-what/542118/21 "2010-06-06T19:16:42Z")

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Not the OP, but SETI unsurprisingly has a number of protocols for releasing a positive result. Though some of those at the organization suspect that journalists would preempt them in practice.

Guidelines:  
[http://www.seti.org/Page.aspx?pid=780](http://www.seti.org/Page.aspx?pid=780)

Declaration of Principles:  
[http://www.seti.org/Page.aspx?pid=680](http://www.seti.org/Page.aspx?pid=680)

Call for international treaty:  
[http://www.coseti.org/setiprot.htm](http://www.coseti.org/setiprot.htm)

Somewhat embarrassing conference, whose members have probably thought about the OP:  
[http://www.contact-conference.org/index.html](http://www.contact-conference.org/index.html)

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**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-space-craft-in-our-airspace-now-what/542118/22 "2010-06-06T19:48:54Z")

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What _could_ they do? Some giant spacecraft from another star settles above a city? If we’re visited by anyone that far in advance of us, all we can do is hope they have good intentions. Any military response would be like stone age people throwing rocks at an aircraft carrier.

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**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-space-craft-in-our-airspace-now-what/542118/23 "2010-06-07T18:41:52Z")

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I am not asking what we could do but what we WOULD do? President gets woken up. SAC bases go on full alert we drop to at least DEFCON 3. We get our top scientist and culture and linguists in. Try to minimize contact without quarine.

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