NASA's silence on 3I/Atlas down to 'terrestrial stupidity', not proof of 'alien intelligence' - Blame govt shutdown
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "NASA's silence on 3I/Atlas down to 'terrestrial stupidity', not proof of 'alien intelligence' - Blame govt shutdown")
NASA has gone into shutdown and has not released any official information on 3I/Atlas. Photograph: (AFP/ ESA)
NASA has yet to reveal any information on the interstellar object 3I/Atlas that its Mars orbiter might have captured. People think there is something fishy about its silence. However, a scientist says it is simply "terrestrial stupidity' thanks to the US government shutdown.
NASA's silence on 3I/Atlas has caught everyone's attention, with some even speculating that the space agency has likely learnt some astonishing details about the comet and is holding onto the information. However, Avi Loeb, a Harvard scientist, says this proves nothing. In fact, it shows human "stupidity" as opposed to proof of alien activity, he said in an interview, referring to the US shutdown. Notably, the US government has been shut down for nine days, and several attempts to end it have failed, with the latest bid coming on Wednesday (October 8). The vote to move forward on the GOP measure, which has already passed the House, was 54 to 45. Sixty votes were needed to advance it. "The House is done. The ball is now in the Senate's court," House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters.
Mars orbiter photo of 3I/Atlas
NASA has also been in shutdown following the impasses over the matter. The space agency has been feeling the effects of the US government shutdown and has stopped updating its website. The first images of the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas were recently captured by a European Space Agency Mars orbiter. A picture taken by a NASA rover is also doing the rounds; however, it has not officially been released. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) took a picture of the comet when it flew by the Red Planet on October 3. However, it only released the first image on October 7. Data from its other orbiter, Mars Express, is still awaited. Meanwhile, NASA has yet to officially confirm that the rover photo it showcased was of 3I/Atlas. NASA's silence led netizens to believe that 3I/Atlas could, after all, be an alien spaceship, as claimed by Loeb based on the anomalies.
Also Read: 3I/Atlas origin and trajectory: Interstellar object could have come from a 'conical disk'
3I/Atlas could be an “alien mothership”, Loeb had claimed
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
However, Loeb doesn't think that is the case. When asked in an interview if he thinks NASA and other agencies know more than they let on about the comet, he said, "No. In particular, I believe that the recent delay in the dissemination of data from NASA as a result of the government shutdown does not flag extraterrestrial intelligence but rather terrestrial stupidity." Loeb has earlier stated that 3I/Atlas could be an "alien mothership" and that humans need to be prepared to defend themselves. He has called on world leaders to work together against a common enemy which could be coming someday.
According to experts, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is expected to get the best shots of 3I/Atlas because it was much closer to the comet when it came nearly 30 million kilometres close to Mars. However, NASA is completely mum about what its orbiter might have captured. Everyone is waiting for the American space agency to reveal new pictures of 3I/Atlas, and possibly its true nature.
