Citizens of Earth: Basic Guidelines for Extraterrestrial Contact.
How soon will they contact us?
Are You Ready for some Out of this World Diplomacy?
Extraterrestrials. First Contact. Aliens. Such concepts have a way of frightening people or making them uncomfortable. But what if I suggested that the truth is much more interesting than fiction? The idea of aliens has been around for as long as humans have existed, and it’s not hard to see why. They are mysterious beings from another world who could be anything at all.
Of course, I’m not worried. As the aliens enter our solar system, they will undoubtedly use their advanced wi-fi to connect with Earth’s internet. Once “in,” their advanced computers will scour every website and file. After quelling their surprise that porn constitutes 30% of all internet traffic, they will eventually link to Amazon and download digital copies of every available book.
Fortunately for me, they’ll be pleasantly pleased to find that I have already described their civilization in my science fiction novels. They will find this website and use my convenient contact form to say hello.
Why else would I check my email every day?
The James Webb Space Telescope. Concept image by NASA.:
As I watch the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) ease into its orbit around Earth’s L2 Lagrange point and ready itself for business, I wonder if the rest of humanity is prepared for what it might find. The JWST will be able to see back in time more than 13 billion years, when our universe was just beginning to form. It could also look at stars that are billions of light-years away from us.
The JWST’s 6.5-meter, gold-coated beryllium primary mirror (2.7 times the diameter of the Hubble telescope’s primary) is almost ready to study the universe in infrared light. Why infrared? Infrared light penetrates more deeply into space than visible or ultraviolet light. This means we can peer farther back in time. In fact, the first objects ever formed after the Big Bang were probably very hot — so hot they radiated most of their energy in infrared rather than visible light. The longer wavelengths (from 0.6 to 28 μm) will let it look through dust clouds as it searches for the earliest galaxies and extrasolar planets similar to Earth.
And the JWST is not alone in the search. Although the JWST is impressive, we didn’t design it from the ground up to search for E.T. For that, we have to visit the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array, north of San Francisco. In 2015, the vast ATA radio telescope studied Tabby’s Star and later turned their attention to interstellar asteroid Oumuamua in 2017. The ATA’s key science goals include surveying stars for SETI-related emissions and studying our galaxy’s inner galactic plane in search of powerful E.T. transmitters.
You probably know that SETI stands for Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, right? But did you know that humanity also beams messages into space? That program is called METI (Messages to Extraterrestrial Intelligence). Most recently (October 2017), working from Tromsø, Norway, METI international beamed a scientific and mathematical tutorial to Luyten’s Star.
Wikipedia has a nice chart of a few of the other messages humanity has beamed into space [here]. One concern: is it wise to publicize our position in the universe? What if our neighbors aren’t as friendly as we hope? And why assume the aliens would want to answer our call?
The radio telescope I'd like to have in my backyard. Photo by Damon Leverett
On top of all those research areas, our astronomers have been making the art of finding new extrasolar planets look easy. Some of these discoveries are even in their parent star’s “Goldilocks zones” and likely have liquid water available for life.
[We might not have to look that far. Some of Jupiter’s moons have hidden oceans. What if there’s already someone smart living in Europa’s interior ocean? Or what if a group of interstellar travelers already have secret bases somewhere else in the solar system? In Holding on for Life, my characters found evidence of alien activity on Neptune’s moon “Despina.” And if you’ve never heard of "Despina, wouldn’t it be a great secret hiding place?]
Europa. Photo: NASA
So what do we do if one of these programs finds alien life?
We’re all in this together and the world is rife with people who believe in aliens, or at least in the likelihood of their existence. While many might debate the need to establish some guidelines for contact, wouldn’t our visitors reasonably expect us to have a system of protocols already in place?
For me, the basics are:
Do not panic.
Remain open-minded and humble.
Do not react in any way that could be perceived as aggressive.
Seriously, I'd love to meet an alien!
So, here’s my total risk analysis: the aliens will be friendly. And you can bring that to the bank. I mean, why not bet a TON of money on that? Face it, you will only ever know if I am right about the friendly nature of alien visitors. If I am right, we treat each other with consideration and respect. We advance side by side and continue to explore the galaxy. If I’m wrong, we probably need to add our name to the endangered species list. Good luck collecting your end of our wager.
But, really, there’s good reason to believe the aliens will be friendly. Wouldn’t a peaceful and cooperative civilization last longer than one that is warlike and aggressive? On Earth, peaceful and humane nations outlast those that remain confrontational and oppressive. And wouldn’t a civilization with access to their home star system’s entire wealth already have all the natural resources they need? Carl Sagan always said that a civilization couldn’t reach the stars if it hadn’t already risen above conflict, war, and the dangers of self-destruction.
They sure look like friendly visitors!
More dos and don’ts when meeting another race from outer space.
In Fire and Forget, Time Wing Six encounters aliens in our solar system’s asteroid belt. This is a first for humanity, and the crew uses some of the basic conventions and rules of etiquette that might be familiar to anyone in our nation’s military.
If you pick up a signal, check it out, share the information, and don’t broadcast any replies without consultation.
Begin immediate restrictions on pointing guns or putting radars into target tracking mode.
Take nothing for granted and maintain substantial on-the-spot sound judgment.
Remain guardedly cautious.
Minimize potential misunderstandings that could lead to escalation or violence.
Establish meaningful dialog.
Avoid putting the other party into a position where they have to make snap judgments about our intent. And be aware that they are hopefully following some of these same concepts.
Beam me up!
But hasn’t our government already created a response plan? A list of post-detection protocols for friendly relations?
Short answer: NO.
Longer answer: Some have tried. Feel free to skip this next chunk if you’re not a big history buff.
1953
Andrew Haley was a US attorney and vice president of the International Astronautical Federation. In 1953, he published an article where he expanded the “Golden Rule” to include aliens. Why wouldn’t we want to treat aliens as any human being would wish to be treated? Soon after, Austrian attorney Ernst Fasan described this as a “Metalaw,” and expanded it to embrace three vital tenets.
Nonviolation: humans must not harm extraterrestrials.
Equality: humans and extraterrestrials are equal.
Will to live: extraterrestrials have the right to live and to do so in a safe place.
1960
Busy with the Mercury program, NASA asked the Brookings Institution to provide a guiding operations manual. Known as “The Brookings Report,” it is best known for a few entries which touched on the discovery of alien life. You can read the entire report here. Or (for access to its footnotes) here.
A word of warning. The report does not get to “the implications of a discovery of extraterrestrial life” until page 215 (of 219). At this point, the report recommended that someone might want to investigate public attitudes regarding the possibility of discovering alien life. And that it might be smart to figure out how much information should be shared with the public ahead of time.
Here, the authors also discuss how people might react depending on their cultural, religious, and social backgrounds. “The knowledge that life existed in other parts of the universe might lead to a greater unity of men on Earth, based on the ‘oneness’ of man or on the age-old assumption that any stranger is threatening.”
Footnotes advocated studying the attitudes of “Fundamentalist (and anti-science) sects” and calculated that people might get over the novelty of such discoveries rather quickly. Footnote 34 also suggests we might not learn much from the aliens. “If superintelligence is discovered … there is no reason to believe that we might learn a great deal from them, especially if their physiology and psychology were substantially different from ours.”
This guy looks frightening. But what if he just wants a hug?
1967
Now signed by over 125 countries, the UN’s Outer Space Treaty entered into force in late 1967. It’s also called the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies” (aka “resolution 2222”). Here’s another look at it.
Space exploration must benefit all countries and all mankind.
Space exploration should be open to all countries.
No one can own anything beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
No one can place weapons of mass destruction anywhere in outer space.
The Moon and other celestial bodies should only be used for peaceful purposes.
All astronauts “shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind.” (*My favorite; see below.)
Countries are responsible for space activities, and this includes national projects as well as civilian ventures into space.
Countries are responsible for any damage their space objects might cause.
Countries must not contaminate space (in general) or any celestial body.
*I thought this might mean “diplomatic envoys,” but Article V doesn’t go there. Even so, here’s my favorite part of Article V: “States Parties to the Treaty shall immediately inform the other States Parties to the Treaty or the Secretary-General of the United Nations of any phenomena they discover in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, which could constitute a danger to the life or health of astronauts.” [I’m relatively certain this would include aliens.]
Is she ready to visit the United Nations?
1989
The IAA SETI Permanent Committee issued their “Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence.”
If someone verifies a signal from an “extraterrestrial intelligence,” they can’t make a public announcement before sharing data and informing other observers and research organizations.
They should use the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams to alert the International Astronomical Union.
Someone needs to call the Secretary General of the United Nations.
After confirmation that the signal is extraterrestrial, the information should still be withheld from the public.
While the discoverer will get to make the first announcement, no reply can be made until the UN agrees on humanity’s joint response. A response which must “… reflect a careful concern for the broad interests and wellbeing of Humanity.”
All concerned must maintain secrecy as to the [alien’s] position, so amateurs can’t open side conversations.
At this point, the UN will appoint “an international committee of scientists and other experts … to serve as a focal point for continuing analysis of all observational evidence collected in the aftermath of the discovery, and also to provide advice on the release of information to the public.” The SETI Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics maintains a current list of Earth’s willing representatives.
Coming in for a landing!
2010
In 2010, the SETI Institute issued a replacement set of “Protocols for an ETI Signal Detection.” They promise to conduct experiments transparently and maintain open relations with news organizations and other media. The protocols discuss message detection and confirmation, and establish a “Post-Detection Task Group.” And yet, “In the case of the confirmed detection of a signal, signatories to this declaration will not respond without first seeking guidance and consent of a broadly representative international body, such as the United Nations.”
Verification procedures and Communication:
Use a universal language
For the moment, I am going to assume that the aliens have not contacted us via telepathy or some other psychic power. So, they’ll be using the same flavor of physics we do. We will search their transmissions for patterns and presuppose some basic math skills. [I mean, after University Calculus somehow explained itself to my brain, I can’t help believing that mathematics has to be some kind of universal truth.] Prime numbers might be useful, and why not see if the Fibonacci sequence strikes a familiar chord? We could send simple math puzzles, such as missing numbers in a sequence of numbers.
Even if their physiologies or psychologies are vastly different from our own, there ought to be some way to create an obvious universal message. Sticking to introductory math should eliminate issues with the two sides having vastly different psychologies. Then again, I’ve met a mathematician or two who do not believe that nature actually includes universal truths about math that exist independent of human beings.
And here’s another potential stumbling block. Do you remember your first encounter with a 12x12 multiplication table? What if we’re still stuck on some equivalent to adding and subtracting while our visitors mastered multiplying and dividing a long time ago? What if demonstrating the Pythagorean theorem doesn’t impress? Or how about showing them the difference between an integer and rational number?
Next comes grammar. When I lived in Italy, I took Italian language classes. But traveling through Naples required picking up a more conversational and social blend of small talk, Neapolitan street wisdom, and hand gestures. Exchanges sometimes required an echo of what I was hearing with something simple added to build on. While exploring Naples, I got along much better by staying away from the Italian I found in books.
Can we ever hope to hang out with aliens and chat? Wouldn’t we have to share living space with some of them to learn the ins and outs of their language and customs? Would public schools create courses in xenobiology and xenolinguistics? Why not? When I taught AP Physics, a lot of my students would have loved a few extra advanced placement classes.
Let's get the gang together!
Greetings from Earth!
Cultural cooperation and collaboration are essential for ensuring continued peace between Earth and any alien civilization or alien alliance. And, here, our decision tree will have to branch in two directions. Are extraterrestrials contacting us by radio? Or are they visiting in person?
If by radio or laser light:
Given the time-lag issues to our closest neighboring stars, what would we have to worry about? If our new pen pals are ten light-years away, each chunk of back-and-forth dialog will take 20 years. Each new generation of linguists and scientists would have a chance to anticipate a return message and consider a reply. What could go wrong?
(The closest star other than our Sun is Proxima Centauri. At 4.2465 light years away, we would still have to wait almost eight and a half years for a return message.)
Then again, the aliens might not want to talk with us at all. What if the call from intelligent life comes in, but the aliens expect to chat with our dogs or cats? What if the aliens visited some time ago and thought highly of the dinosaurs? Would they understand that a few reptiles and all birds are the dinosaur’s only remaining descendants?
If in-person:
Here, we would have to remember to treat our visitors like any other guest. Consideration and respect ought to go a long way toward maintaining friendly relations. Would there be mass societal shock? I doubt it. I’m sure all the science-fiction movies and TV shows we’ve seen have us adequately prepared for anything the universe has to throw at us.
Well, maybe we ought to skip actual xenomorphs as seen in the Alien and Aliens franchise. Darth Vader might not be welcome. And what about the Krell from Forbidden Planet? What if some of the Krell were out and exploring somewhere far away from Altair Four when Commander Adams blew up the planet? And let’s skip the artificial entity (“Sally”) from Oblivion.
The Heptapods from Arrival seemed friendly, as did the Thermians in Galaxy Quest. And didn’t our heroes from the Star Trek universe make the Klingons, Romulans, and the Borg into total pussycats?
I’ve always tended to assume extraterrestrials who have mastered interstellar travel would be technologically advanced. But if they are too far ahead of us, won’t they just seem like a race of magicians? Fine by me. As long as they don’t see themselves as gods or demigods.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
How will aliens treat us? I'm pretty sure they're going to lend me a starship.
Do you have an E.T. contingency plan?
I have read a lot of science fiction over the years, and predictions vary. But wouldn’t any civilization with the guts to send a message out to the stars (like us) be ready and willing to help guide someone else’s advancement and growth? Will they already have a theory of everything? Would they have mastered the use of zero-point energy? Do they have warp speed?
What if our visitors aren’t ready to give away their knowledge for free? What would we offer our alien visitors in exchange? Without understanding the galactic economy, how would we keep each exchange fair?
Or maybe they might just be standing by to help us ward off some pending catastrophe? Asteroid or comet impact? The zenith of climate change’s tipping point? Nuclear war? Another pandemic? A supervolcano eruption? Or perhaps a rogue planet on a collision course with Earth? We can only hope that if any such event were to occur, there will be someone out there who is willing to warn us before it happens.
Then again, what if they’re fans of tough love? What of their aid was less gentle and more coercive than we’d like? And how would we feel if the aliens came bearing gifts but also demanded something MAJOR in return? Would we ever be willing to accept them as our new overlords?
It gets worse. Because an alien species must have survived the rigors of evolution, would they still believe in survival of the fittest? Would they see Earth as a really sweet piece of real estate? If so, wouldn’t they want to take over our planet for themselves?
Over the years, some science fiction authors predicted immediate warfare and human subjugation. And why wouldn’t an alien society have its own interests at heart? If even one culture’s morality could be driven by a desire for individual benefit over altruism, we might be best off handling with care.
It doesn't have to go like this!
Flying Saucer Diplomacy?
A more insidious danger: what if the aliens were so advanced that we lost our sense of identity and cultural confidence? Would the aliens be sensitive enough to our needs and concerns regarding unintended consequences to “calibrate” their scale of contact?
How widely should scientists and government officials share what they may learn? While my gut says people can generally sort things out for themselves, what fraction of our population maintains active, critical, and discerning minds? Don’t most of us get a little unnerved during a crisis? How would the media react? Religious groups? Academia? Political leaders? The general public? Extremist groups? What if some of these questions are answered in ways that make it impossible to continue as we know ourselves?
I don’t have any easy answers. And yet, there’s value in having conversations about this stuff now so that when something rare happens, we aren’t completely blindsided by how unprepared or ill-equipped we are.
Okay, so this guy looks sort of scary. But, hey, maybe they’re dancing and she stepped on his toes? Why jump to conclusions?
Final etiquette tips for communicating with extraterrestrials
Despite listing a few concerns, I am 100% ready for an alien visit. No worries. The “Golden rule” ought to work well with someone as advanced as our new friends are likely to be. How confident am I? I will post this article in a moment, so this is my public request for E.T. to call me first.
Are you extraterrestrials already online and reading this? My Alaskan Malamutes and I are ready to be your public ambassadors!
A few final thoughts:
If you’re a Star Trek fan and remember the 8th movie in the film series, “Star Trek: First Contact,” we’re only 41 years from contact. [In the film, the Vulcans check in on us on the 5th of April, 2063.]
As soon as we have people living on the Moon and Mars … won’t they be extraterrestrials? Yep! And, if you’re the right age, right this minute, you could be one of them! … Sign up here!
Finally, if you’re worried that aliens might be hostile, there are a couple books you might want to find. Both take a serious look at defending Earth in the event that our visitors are hostile: An Introduction to Planetary Defense: A Study of Modern Warfare Applied to Extra-Terrestrial Invasion. If you’re ready to read more, two of that book’s authors later wrote Alien Invasion: How to Defend Earth.
My backyard is HUGE ... please visit! Photo by Michael Herren
I would like to know what you think about these issues before the aliens arrive. My contact page is here.
Of course, if you want to be as ready for an interstellar visit as I am, you might want to dive into some of these awesome books! And I’ll surely thank you for it.
People on my mailing list get to be first in line when it comes to visiting starships and other planets! (Guaranteed!)
Keep looking up! It's time to Inherit the Night!
