Popular Mechanics article -When UFO's arrive.

This probably was posted long ago when it first came out.I just found it and thought with the new ATSers on the site they may not have seen it in print in 2004.

Popular Mechanics Feb.2004-When UFO's Arrive.

I hope you all enjoy it.There is a lot of old magazines available on Google Books.
Popular Mechanics and such and they have articles about what the future is going to be like.

It is funny and sad how far off they are. So check it out.

Popular Mechanics

Check this one out from May 1950. Rockets that can fly to the moon,2500 mph ramjets and flying disc aircraft.

Three separate articles that state it could be done now(1950).
Popular Mechanics-May 1950

[edit on 26-1-2010 by calcoastseeker]

reply to post by calcoastseeker


Thanks for the heads up, very informative article.

After reading that article it is no wonder that we have never made "official" contact with aliens.

First of all there is nothing in the government's plans requiring them to absolutely disclose such a visit by aliens to the public. WTF??!! Every day I realize more and more that the American government isn't really ours, the people's. Our leaders forgot about the idea of government being "by, for, and of the people" a long time ago.

Furthermore, if I were an alien I would not land in the U.S. as I have no desire to be taken captive and have my spaceship impounded.

Here are some quotes from the most important parts of the article imho:

Regardless of how the world's astronomy community might want to handle first contact, Uncle Sam has ideas of his own. And they rest on the assumption that ET is first and foremost an illegal alien.

...the space agency (NASA) sent an invitation for extraterrestrials to visit Earth. A gold-anodized aluminum plaque engraved with a map showing the location of Earth was attached to the Pioneer 10 spacecraft...

If ET turns up at NASA's doorstep bearing that invitation, it is in for a surprise. Instead of getting a handshake from the head of NASA, it will be handcuffed by an FBI agent dressed in a Biosafety Level 4 suit. Instead of sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House, the alien will be whisked away to the Department of Agriculture's Animal Disease Center on Plum Island, off the coast of New York's Long Island. Here it will be poked and probed by doctors from the National Institutes of Health. A Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST) will tow away its spacecraft.

Unless it is spewing exhaust, the craft would be assumed to be nuclear powered. This determination would put NEST technicians in charge of securing the craft and moving it to a DOE facility, most likely in New Mexico, where it would be in close proximity to the Sandia and Los Alamos nuclear laboratories and the White Sands Missile Range.

NEST, however, would operate in the background. In a nuclear emergency, the FBI is put in charge of public safety, public health and public information.

I can't speak for any aliens but if I was one I know I would be saying: "I'll give you my spaceship when you take it from my cold, dead hands!"


Also, note that there is nothing stating that the FBI would be required to inform the public about the alien landing. Unless such aliens chose to land on the field at the Superbowl the public would probably never know.

reply to post by Bobbox1980



I personally don't think a first contact would be anything like that. I also highly doubt that if this happened today we would assume a interstellar craft is nuclear powered, as we know that isn't strong enough for any practical space journey.

I also don't think we would treat them as illegal aliens, IMHO any law or provision would be overlooked to a large extent in such a case of human/galactic history.