
NASA Memo: Thoughts on the Space Alien Race Question (1963) - Hooke
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v25/d383
======
ColinCochrane
_There likely is nothing to be done at the moment to prepare for these
possibilities (the only body of writing on the subject available in an
emergency is science fiction), because no one of consequence is going to take
this rubbish seriously unless it happens. At that point, our policy will be
determined in the traditional manner of grand panic._

An entertaining conclusion.

~~~
dogma1138
"because no one of consequence is going to take this rubbish seriously unless
it happens. At that point, our policy will be determined in the traditional
manner of grand panic."

Pretty much sounds like every DR/BCP plan, long term scalability and
performance architecture design recommendations, or anything that is more than
4-5 sprints away.

------
icanhackit
_Our biggest telescopes cannot resolve planets at the distances even of the
nearest stars, so no direct confirmation is yet available._

This Slate article has some fantastic images of exoplanets, though it's from
2012:
[http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/bad_astrono...](http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/bad_astronomy/2012/11/exoplanet_pictures_astronomers_have_photos_of_alien_planets.html)

A list of directly imaged exoplanets here:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_directly_imaged_exopla...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_directly_imaged_exoplanets)

50 years of progress.

~~~
dogma1138
If any one wonders what are the techniques and how the actual "imaging" looks
like CNRC has an awesome presentation[0] on the subject (no actual scientific
knowledge required, the pictures are pretty (amazing) on their own).

Whats even more amazing is that the images we can take of exoplanets now are
not that far from the images we can take of Pluto and other post Neptunian
object with terrestrial telescopes.

[0] [https://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/files/exep/marois-
Tahoe-20120317.p...](https://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/files/exep/marois-
Tahoe-20120317.pdf)

------
dogma1138
_"...I would expect the Martians to be scared to death of what they have seen
recently on this planet, and would expect that the highest priority
development program in the solar system is being conducted by the Atomic
Energy Commission of Mars."_

Probably (one of) the best note(s) to take from this entire article.

