Say the government found proof that the ruins of some ancient civilization are on Mars, or the Moon, or Pluto, Or some asteroid. Also assume the way they proved this was via recon photos from probes.
Should they instantly reveal the discovery to everybody? Or should they first send a secret mission to better determine the risks involved and how best to procede.
Basically, is there a situation in which the government would be reasonable in witholding that evidence?
I sincerely doubt this has ever happened. If there is other life, however, my bet is we will eventually discover it. What should be the protocol for releasing this info to the public?
The protocal will depend on the situation. If some superaliens build a base on the moon and swoop down on earth to scoop up people snacks, i think that the government would have a vested interest in covering this up to advoid a panic in the population. If it was just a derelict spaceship, then there is no need to hide anything. Of course, any aliens that screw with humans after we spread from our home planet is in for a world of hurt, as we are the nastiest race that could ever evolve.
If I may be allowed to be a bit Machiavellian, they should sit tight on the info. (assuming the US is the one to make the discovery. If it’s China, they should tell the world immediately ;))We have no way of knowing what kind of technical advances this ancient ET civilization has amassed, or the possible usefullness. It could be a huge advantage to the nation that unlocks the secrets. I would prefer that nation to be mine.
I am sure others will disagree and say that the discoverers have a duty to all mankind to share the knowledge that they have gained. That’s a bit Polly-Anna to me. Global politics is not a game of open-faced poker. What would have happened if the US had made nuclear bomb technology available to everyone? -Beeblebrox
Ford Prefect was desperate that any flying saucer at all would arrive soon because fifteen years was a long time to get stranded anywhere, particularly somewhere as mindboggingly dull as the Earth.
What if we made the discovery, and then found out someone else had made the same discovery? How far should we go to keep this a secret? Propaganda to discredit the discoverer?Imprison whoever figured it out? Kill them?
It’s interesting, because the first reaction I have when I hear someone talk about government cover-ups of alien activity is: Nutjob. That would make a good X-files episode.
But the more I think about it, it seems not only is it possible, but it is LIKELY that this is how it would go. All of the sudden the crazy’s start to look a little less crazy, and I start thinking about tinfoil hats. I wish they made em in other colors accept silver. Fall is coming up and I gotta be thinkin’ about my fashion statements.
"Hodey, dodey, doe, just another day examining images here at JPL… wait… what’s this? Incontrovertible proof of alien life? Wow. I’ve worked my whole life for this moment, pegged my career on it, joshed with my friends about it, attended conferences, written articles, and dreamt about it. Simply having my name associated with this discovery will ensure the security of my career and my family forever! What should I do first? Call my wife? E-mail my friends? Call the press?
“No, I’d better tell The Man about this first, so that they have the option to murder me and cover up the discovery. That would be in my own best interests.”
“I’ll just make a quick copy, leave the office, and when I get home upload proof to the world”
Scenario 1:
Car crash on the way home.
Scenario 2:
Gets home, uploads to the internet, someone posts to the SDMB with a link, and it immediately gets debunked. Government backs up the debunking calling it a trick of light and shadows. Career ruined, people think he’s a freak, and his wife leaves him.
Obviously any black ops to insure maintained security of technology would have to have the pros and cons weighed. Without specifics, it is tough to decide if they would be worth it. Technology is useless if it can’t be used. Some of it is going to bleed out simply because it is used. Controlling the place and time of the leaks is what techno-politics is all about
I am reminded of the mythical “water engine” that still crops up among conspiracy theorists occasionally. Why would any oil company cover this up? If I ran a company and had access to the technology, I’d stop drilling and start building water engines immediately. With all the patents, I could make billions. I’d also have the added satisfaction of seeing my competitors go out of business.
sofa king, the discoverer may very well tell the man. Everyone has a boss, the boss has a boss, the boss’ boss has a boss…trust no one
-Beeblebrox
“I mean, here we are on the run and everything, we must have the police of half the Galaxy after us by now, and we stop to pick up hitch hikers. OK, so ten out of ten for style, but minus several million for good thinking, yeah?”
Perhaps I was overly dismissive. Instead, I propose the following:
Instead of idly speculating about what would happen, why don’t we ask the JPL, NASA, and the various university-run observatories what their plan of action is if and when they think they have discovered signs of intelligent life?
I think the official Nasa line is “We share everything we discover with everybody”. Just saying it doesn’t make it true, however. I think that national Security trumps scientific integrity in the real world. No matter how fucked up that can be. I would wager that Nasa has military personnel they have to answer to whether they admit it or not.
Actually, I read once in some book that there was some sort of agreement about the way things should be handled if a contact was made with an ET intelligence. I don’t remember any specifics, except that the UN general secretary was supposed to be informed. And, anyway, I don’t remember if I read that in a reliable source (I somewhat doubt there could be a real treaty about that, or anything similar).
