
Pentagon Has ‘Off-World Vehicles Not Made on This Earth’ - michaelmarion
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a33413777/pentagon-ufo-program-materials-vehicles/
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mindcrime
I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe.

Don't get me wrong: I totally believe there is probably intelligent life "out
there". And I _hope_ they have traveled here and that we have found signs. But
based on what we know (or think we know) about the laws of the physical world
we live in, it doesn't seem likely that craft from other worlds have visited
us.

 _Maybe_ if you consider that they might be unmanned probes it starts to
become a little more plausible. But crewed ships, and especially ones that are
meant for a round trip? Unless there are habitable planets a LOT closer than
we think, or the aliens have made some amazing scientific/technical
breakthroughs, it's hard to imagine. Maybe if the aliens are really long lived
and tolerate boredom incredibly well... or have invented "suspended
animation"?

~~~
soganess
I've often wondered why we unconsciously assume foreign lifeforms will have a
lifespan within even 3 orders of magnitude of our own.

If we can accept alien life that can travel at the speed of light, why can't
we accept alien like that can live millions of years? Honestly, I feel like
the latter is more palatable as a result of technological progress than the
former.

~~~
mindcrime
Agreed. It is _possible_ that some really long-lived lifeform has evolved "out
there". That's why I said "and tolerate boredom really well", since you still
have to wonder what they're doing during the trip. Maybe singing "99 bottles
of beer on the wall?" I don't know.

~~~
soganess
That would be amazing!

I'm imagining a sci-fi novel where aliens have extended their own lives but
not improved their memory, so after 5 million years they reach their
destination doing nothing but singing and merriment on the way. Sadly, upon
arrival they can't remember why they are there, where they are from, or
anything else important. Maybe all over the ship they left notes to themselves
a la "100 years of solitude" but sadly they can't remember how to read them.

~~~
mindcrime
If you write it, sign me up to buy a copy!

