United Nations Names Ambassador To Aliens

Shag writes "Although searches for extraterrestrial intelligence have thus far come up empty-handed, the United Nations appears to be preparing for eventual 'first contact.' Many media outlets are carrying the story that Mazlan Othman, a Malaysian astrophysicist who heads the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs in Vienna — already charged with things like keeping track of satellites to prevent Kessler Syndrome and coordinating the international response to any earth-impacting asteroids — will be the first person to meet with aliens if they do show up." Update: 09/27 16:42 GMT by S : Looks like this one's too good to be true — in an email to The Guardian, Othman said, "It sounds really cool but I have to deny it."

Comments

Do they know

[Dyinobal]

Do they know more than we do? Should we be expecting, "first" contact soon?

Re:Do they know

[Sir_Sri]

more likely it is the bureaucracy of the UN planning for every contingency, and establishing a hierarchy of who's in charge if something happens.

If aliens were to show up, and land in China or the US I cannot seriously envision a situation where they would defer to the UN ambassador to make first contact. However if they show up in somewhere with less bravado, and less scientists, they might have to go along with the UN or at the very least the UN would be fairly heavily involved in making sure they get as many representatives as they can there.

Re:Do they know

[halivar]

So you are in agreement that a larger, more powerful outside force should use their power to force sovereigns to meet their demands and social mores or die.

So what's your beef with US foreign policy, other than sheer hypocrisy?

"charged with keeping track of satellites"

[John Hasler]

Except that it is the US Air Force that actually does the job.

I don't see it.

[L4t3r4lu5]

If they set off from the closest sun-like star (18 Scorpi, 46 light years) right now, at the maximum speed we have achieved in space flight (62000km/h - Voyager 1) they would be here in approximately 80,000 years. That long ago, we were using pointy sticks to hunt and living in caves.

Even if they increased their speed by three orders of magnitude, they would no longer be a representation of their own species. First contact with an alien civilisation a century out of time with itself. That's akin to someone coming out of a cave right now, having waked in when Queen Victoria was on the throne.

I don't see it.

Re:No he won't

[OzPeter]

or with a penguin in the arctic.

If its a penguin in the Arctic then I'd be really surprised