# What Are The Chances A UFO Lands In The USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056 "2011-04-28T17:22:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/21 "2011-04-28T22:16:17Z")
The documentaries I’ve seen on this subject indicate the vast majority of UFO’s land in the US, followed by Japan and England. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/22 "2011-04-28T22:26:48Z")
To find our rather obscure little planet, they will probably locate on radio transmissions. So once arriving, they will probably continue to home in on such transmissions. Thus a major source of this would attract them, right? So what are the largest sources of such radio transmissions? Is the top of the Empire State Building still festooned with broadcast antennas? If so, maybe that dirigible mooring mast built into it may actually get used. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/23 "2011-04-28T23:17:09Z")
Given the large number of Seinfelds that are broadcast all over America every hour of every day, aliens would probably land here. Especially if they wanted to see a particular episode. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/24 "2011-04-28T23:21:26Z")
Depends on why they’re here. If to make contact, then upon study they would see that the USA is the dominant power in the world and seat of the UN and naturally conclude that they need to come here. However, that entirely depends on their ethics. For all we know they’ll land in Lichtenstein. If they’re here to stock up on some Human Meat or Slaves, they’re much more likely to land in China, India, Bangladesh, where the density and numbers are higher. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/25 "2011-04-29T00:29:28Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > And do they find our women sexually attractive, or do they prefer sheep or cockroaches? Depends. If it’s Captain Jack, the answer is probably ‘yes’. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/26 "2011-04-29T00:31:17Z")
“Dominant power” only in terms of human politics. But if they’re not tuned into human life, then that’s irrelevant. They might be more interested in the more generally dominant, and indomitable, life form - fungus. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/27 "2011-04-29T00:34:11Z")
Los Angeles. They’ll feel at home. ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/28 "2011-04-29T00:45:05Z")
If I were first visiting a foreign(?) planet, I would probably go into a sort-of equatorial orbit before landing, so in addition to all the other factors mentioned here I would bias things a bit towards the equator. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/29 "2011-04-29T01:12:46Z")
> [@UncleFred](#): > > If I were first visiting a foreign(?) planet, I would probably go into a sort-of equatorial orbit before landing, so in addition to all the other factors mentioned here I would bias things a bit towards the equator. Why an equatorial orbit. If you were trying to look things over a polar orbit (pole to pole as the earth rotates below you) would be simpler. ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/30 "2011-04-29T01:37:00Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Why an equatorial orbit. If you were trying to look things over a polar orbit (pole to pole as the earth rotates below you) would be simpler. Well, this authoritative clip seems to show a spaceship in an equatorial orbit (going against the rotation, maybe) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hdjL8WXjlGI/hqdefault.jpg "Star Trek Original Series Intro (HQ)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjL8WXjlGI) So I guess I may have been influenced by it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/31 "2011-04-29T01:37:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes, the aliens have to land on land, but let’s assume they have to land like the Space Shuttle does. There are only something like a half-dozen runways in the world that can handle a shuttle landing, and three of those are in the US, so if we take “landing like the Shuttle” literally, then the probability would be around 50%. Realistically, though, if they’ve conquered the technical challenges of interstellar travel, then they’ve almost certainly got better landing technology than that. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/32 "2011-04-29T07:07:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There are only something like a half-dozen runways in the world that can handle a shuttle landing, and three of those are in the US, so if we take “landing like the Shuttle” literally, then the probability would be around 50%. Realistically, though, if they’ve conquered the technical challenges of interstellar travel, then they’ve almost certainly got better landing technology than that. Well there is always Easter Island. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/33 "2011-04-29T09:26:15Z")
Are the aliens aware that Conservatives are in the U.S. and will try to kill them because they are different? ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/34 "2011-04-29T10:49:41Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Well there is always Easter Island. > > Declan The indigenous peoples of South America invented the UFO landing strip. And strawberries. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/35 "2011-04-29T13:07:53Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Well there is always Easter Island. > > Declan Easter Island is an alternative landing site for the shuttle. Just really low on the list because there would be no way to get it off the island. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/36 "2011-04-29T13:50:58Z")
At this time? 100%. In Los Angeles of course. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/37 "2011-04-29T18:06:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There are only something like a half-dozen runways in the world that can handle a shuttle landing, and three of those are in the US, … [Does this count the Los Angeles River?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OEJ3jiKXmc) ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/38 "2011-04-29T18:19:28Z")
These are of course all discussions of probabilities. There is also a nonzero probability of an extreme case (or series of cases), such as: - ETs land in North Korea. - Arriving ETs cause the PRK leadership to do totally insane things, whether through malice or mistranslation or whatnot. - The rest of the world detects zero observable change. So the factors affecting the probabilities are: - Do the ETs prefer to land IN, NEAR, or AWAY FROM urban areas? - What are the ETs intentions – contact, observation, conquest, diplomacy, thrill ride? - How tolerant is the ETs’ ship to Earth environments – air pressure, humidity, gas mix, trace items? - Did the ETs do their research? If they want contact, they’ll probably study the hell out of our languages, then send a message to the UN and several world leaders ahead of a landing. If they want conquest, they’ll land in NYC and start zapping everybody in sight. ---
**Author:** ![SmithCommaJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SmithCommaJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmithCommaJohn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/39 "2011-04-29T18:22:47Z")
> [@RedSwinglineOne](#): > > [Does this count the Los Angeles River?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OEJ3jiKXmc) I don’t think I’ve seen that documentary. I’ll have to check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056/40 "2011-04-29T18:47:03Z")
In their novel _Footfall_, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle posit that the aliens would take a little time to determine which country is the most important and powerful on the planet, and then land there. In the book, they pick the U.S., and land in the center of its continental landmass, touching down in Kansas. Zany radioactive hijinks ensue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-chances-a-ufo-lands-in-the-usa/580056.md?page=3)