NAI Ask an Astrobiologist

Hi i just wanted to know about this solar storm (January 23-24). I'm freaking out because they say this is the strongest one in 7 years and I'm afraid of what dangers it causes to us like anything life threatening. I'm really nervous about this.

Please stop a moment to think about what seems to be frightening you. If this is the strongest solar storm in 7 years, that means there was a stronger one 7 years ago. Did that one cause widespread destruction? Was it life threatening? Is it recorded in the history books as a major disaster? Of course not. Then why should you be afraid of this solar outburst? There is lots of exaggeration and outright misinformation on the Internet about solar storms, but a little common sense blows it away.

David Morrison
Astrobiology Senior Scientist

My question pertains to the UFO as seen by all astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission. The incident in question is the object seen by Neil Armstrong at 060:45:46 when Neil suspected it might be the S4B, which was not to be the case. A link to the transcript is here: http://history.nasa.gov/ap11fj/10day3-flight-plan-update.htm. Crew comments seem to indicate the "UFO" was not a source point, and that SLA panels cannot be the culprit. The proposed orbital mechanic calcs made by NASA have eluded every attempt I have made to locate them, I would very much appreciate if you would adress this matter as much effort has gone into a serious investigation to get this far. AND What is nasa's official position on the transmission regarding the statement made by one of the astronauts: 'We still have the alien spacecraft under observance'? AND How come you say that there has been no confirmed alien life on the planet when there is hundreds of military footage from country's all over the world.

I am not an expert on the UFO and alien astronaut movements, but these three questions are typical of those I frequently receive. I can say what I have posted repeatedly in the past, that to my knowledge no U.S. astronaut has ever reported seeing a UFO or alien spacecraft in space. There are at least two astronauts (out of more than 500 who have flown in space) who seem to believe in the reality of UFOs, Mitchell and Cooper, but their beliefs are not based on their own experiences in space. The false claims that Apollo 11 astronauts saw aliens are particularly common on the internet, and accusations that the astronauts are lying about their experiences led to the famous incident where Buzz Aldrin punched a persistent accuser in the face. I have discussed these issues in replies posted on July 26, 2006, August 28, 2008, and December 7, 2009. On the specific issue of the object seen by Apollo 11 astronauts on their approach to the Moon, I can’t add anything other than to say that the astronauts themselves were satisfied with the explanation in terms of the SLA panels. I defer to their judgment on this issue.

David Morrison
Astrobiology Senior Scientist

I know there is a solar radiation storm currently going on, my question is that will we be affected on earth by this storm?? Is it possible to lose electric or power outages in certain areas?

I am very sad that there are people posting on the web who look at everything in astronomy as a real or potential threat to them. This cosmophobia is a sort of sickness. There are large solar flares about once a month, and they don't hurt anyone. For current information on solar flares and CMEs, check the Space Weather website http://spaceweather.com/. With this information readily available, there is no need for me to keep pointing out that the Sun is very unlikely to hurt anyone, even near solar maximum next year.

David Morrison
Astrobiology Senior Scientist

I understand that you are a scientist and only base what you say on facts. But why do you seem to think it is stupid to think that intelligent life has visited earth before? If we have the capabilities to reach the planets with machines that we have now, who is to say another civilization hasn't already done the same thing or mastered space travel using sophisticated things that we know about but have no idea how to use it?

There is no evidence of past visits to Earth by aliens. Anyone who bases their conclusions on evidence will conclude that we have no reason to think such alien visits have happened. But are such visits possible? Perhaps. However, the technology required would be far beyond anything we can even imagine. The scale of interstellar distances is huge, and therefore both the time and energy required for interstellar travel would be prohibitive. If you think that aliens could have visited Earth, then you must imagine that they have access to energies greater than all the energy on Earth combined, and that they are willing to undertake trips with a duration of thousands or tens of thousands of years. That seems pretty unlikely to me.

David Morrison
Astrobiology Senior Scientist

In the question, "Have aliens visited Earth? Are UFOs real?", you said, and I quote, "The photos that are posted on the Internet are mostly fakes, and no one has ever produced an artifact or any other tangible scientific evidence of UFOs or aliens." They're MOSTLY fakes? So, you're saying that some are real? I mean, surely, you must have reason behind why you said mostly and not all. And don't go changed your answer. Because you made a conscious decision to put mostly. Thus, changing it would be a conscious decision to get yourself out of explaining the reason that only most of the pictures are fake, and not all of them are. What are you hiding from us, NASA? Whatever it is, I wont let you work your way out of this situation.

I hesitate to answer such a belligerent question, but I will. And I will try to make the English language clear enough for you to understand. Many "UFO photos" are real pictures of real objects, including planes, birds, balloons, and stars or planets. They are unidentified because the person taking the picture didn't know what they are. But these are honest mistakes, not fakes. The same is true for many eyewitness reports and even for some of the so-called artifacts. But clearly being a mistake or being wrong is not the same as being a fake.

David Morrison
Astrobiology Senior Scientist