# An actual extraterrestrial space craft lands on DC. What happens next? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763 "2018-07-12T04:21:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ohiomstr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/82dd89/32.png) [@ohiomstr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ohiomstr2)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/1 "2018-07-12T04:21:39Z")
New here so if I am doing this wrong chalk t up to the fng syndrome Tomorrow afternoon a craft of some sort lands near the White House (ala TDTESS 1951) which is clearly not from Earth. What happens next? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/2 "2018-07-12T04:23:13Z")
“You’re wrong. There’s no intelligent life here. Let’s go home.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/3 "2018-07-12T04:33:47Z")
“I’m so awesome, they came to talk to ME! They never would have come to see Crooked Hillary! That just proves there’s intelligent life out there!” ---
**Author:** ![ohiomstr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/82dd89/32.png) [@ohiomstr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ohiomstr2)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/4 "2018-07-12T04:38:57Z")
Ok. I knew if I used DC Mr Trump would be in the mix. Let’s change it to London. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/5 "2018-07-12T04:42:34Z")
Honestly, if they’re landing here from another planet, I expect they’re the ones who are going to decide what happens next. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/6 "2018-07-12T04:59:06Z")
> [@ohiomstr2](#): > > Ok. I knew if I used DC Mr Trump would be in the mix. Let’s change it to London. For you British Dopers: Would people in the U.K. say the same thing? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/7 "2018-07-12T05:26:32Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > “You’re wrong. There’s no intelligent life here. Let’s go home.” > [@](#): > > “Officially, we are required to contact, welcome, and log in any and all sentient races or multibeings in the quadrant, without prejudice, fear, or favor. Unofficially, I advise that we erase the records and forget the whole thing.” Terry Bisson - ["They’re made out of meat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tScAyNaRdQ)." ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/8 "2018-07-12T06:04:41Z")
I’ve pondered this scenario myself, many many times. I KNOW it’s tempting to just make jokes, but it does deserve some serious consideration I think. For instance, what would the media do? Would they report on ANYTHING other than the aliens, or would they actually bother to run other stories? Would the newspapers the next day have, like the aliens on the cover and the first two pages, and then still have a sports page where they ran stories about sports that had no references to the aliens at all? How many people would even believe the news reports? How many would immediately become suspicious that it was a hoax or some kind of psyop? I imagine that many people would personally travel to DC to try to see it firsthand - the roads would be flooded with travelers. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/9 "2018-07-12T07:02:19Z")
Personally I would not go anywhere near them. I hope the news would keep me posted. And I would stay quiet in my little corner and cross my fingers the PTB would not screw this up. Maybe they will be like the Vulcans. Smart, helpful and not want to eat me for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/10 "2018-07-12T07:56:45Z")
They would be greeted with a bunch of dudes pointing guns at them on the WH lawn. If you want to know what happens after that, you’re going to have to tell us what kind of demeanor these aliens have, and what they are capable of. Will they respond in kind? Are they peaceful? Can their ship withstand a military attack? If they’re peaceful and can get past the precarious first stage greeting, I’d say maybe host a summit meeting so the aliens can speak or meet the other world leaders. That would be important, otherwise, other countries might see us as compromised and a threat to their safety. They’ll be a big sensation on the news for a few months, and after that, life pretty much returns to normal. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/11 "2018-07-12T08:38:06Z")
> [@](#): > > For our policemen, we created a race of robots. Their function is to patrol the planets in spaceships like this one and preserve the peace. In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us. This power cannot be revoked. At the first sign of violence, they act automatically against the aggressor. The penalty for provoking their action is too terrible to risk. The result is, we live in peace, without arms or armies, secure in the knowledge that we are free from aggression and war. Free to pursue more… profitable enterprises. > > Now, we do not pretend to have achieved perfection, but we do have a system, and it works. I came here to give you these facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet, but if you threaten to extend your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder. Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. > > We shall be waiting for your answer. > > The decision rests with you. - Klaatu the extraterrestrial in The day the Earth Stood Still. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/12 "2018-07-12T10:26:19Z")
The second their airlock opens, it won’t be us meeting them but our ecosystem meeting their ecosystem, as billions of atmospheric microbes pass in both directions. Frankly, I think that poses a potentially greater risk to us than even aliens with hostile intent. If the visitors stay sealed away in their ship, that’s better for all concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/13 "2018-07-12T10:57:30Z")
they would get asked their view on Roe v. Wade since that’s the only thing that matters to a lot of the media. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/14 "2018-07-12T11:46:41Z")
I think the reality is, we have no f’ing idea on what would happen on their end. The Star Trekian vision that they would come here in peace, we give each other a hug and sing kumbaya is silly to me. We would have absolutely no commonality with them, none of our social moires nothing. I think we’d vacillate between reaching out in peace and having our militaries in standby. I think there would be worldwide panic though, and I’d think the world economy would be significantly disrupted. On their end, I agree with a previous poster. If they could navigate from deep space and land here, we’d be completely at their mercy if they did wish us ill, as a band of cave men would have facing us today. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/15 "2018-07-12T12:27:26Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The second their airlock opens, it won’t be us meeting them but our ecosystem meeting their ecosystem, as billions of atmospheric microbes pass in both directions. Frankly, I think that poses a potentially greater risk to us than even aliens with hostile intent. If the visitors stay sealed away in their ship, that’s better for all concerned. The chances of this are essentially zero - it’s like worrying that humans will die from Dutch Elm Disease. No microbes on either side are going to notice. We don’t even know if they are carbon-based or have DNA. Obviously the first thing to do is round up a bunch of linguistics and signaling experts and establish communication. See what they respond to - sounds, light flashes, radio, whatever we can discover. Do they see visible light? Are they emitting anything? Suppose they appear to be emitting some kind of modulated radio signals. Cool - on the same wavelengths, we send back the prime numbers from 1 to 20, and see what they do. If we find they already speak some Earthly language, that simplifies things enormously. Then we start asking questions. Where are you from? What drives your ship? Why are you here? Need anything? We are bipedal, laterally symmetric, obligate oxygen-breathers. How about you? They must have landed here for a reason. If they are here to eat us, there ain’t a damn thing we can do about it, and if they are just exploring, even better. What do you want to trade? Do you want to see pictures of my family? Do you have families? What do you know about us already? Have you been monitoring our TV signals? Ginger, or Mary Ann? 1950s sci-fi movies are wrong. We aren’t going to attack them. A space-faring interstellar civilization? Are you kidding? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/16 "2018-07-12T12:45:56Z")
We needn’t be at their mercy, just lure them out of the spaceship with a wonderfully choreographed dance of peace then, while they’re honking in delight, some dudes can wail on them from behind with a rusty chain. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/17 "2018-07-12T13:28:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Have you been monitoring our TV signals? Ginger, or Mary Ann? > > Regards, > Shodan “Those _poor people_!” ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/18 "2018-07-12T13:31:17Z")
> [@ohiomstr2](#): > > Ok. I knew if I used DC Mr Trump would be in the mix. Let’s change it to London. “You’re a jerk, Dent. A complete kneebiter.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/19 "2018-07-12T14:02:11Z")
First, does it land _on_ DC or _in_ DC? I go with _in_. Similarly, people stand _in_ line, not _on_ line. We can deal with the aliens once we figure this out. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763/20 "2018-07-12T14:16:59Z")
“I’ll tell you what this means, Norm… no size restrictions and screw the limit!” . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-actual-extraterrestrial-space-craft-lands-on-dc-what-happens-next/817763.md?page=2)