How Should NASA Respond If We Found An Alien Technosignature?

The universe is, as you are probably already aware, pretty big. Though we have found absolute proof of life on precisely one planet (intelligent life, still uncertain), there is plenty of hope that there are intelligent beings out there in the cosmos, potentially seeking other lifeforms themselves.

While the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) continues to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, there are many questions as to what would happen if astronomers achieve this goal. The discovery would have profound implications for just about everybody, changing our view of the cosmos and likely ourselves. As such, researchers – including NASA – have attempted to anticipate what might happen here on Earth if we found evidence of life elsewhere in the universe.

Are we alone in the universe?

"The question of whether we are alone in the Universe has been a source of wonder for humanity for millennia or more. Advances in planetary sciences, astronomy, biology, and other fields now leave us poised, as never before, to address this question with scientific rigour," NASA scientists explained in a 2021 paper arguing that we need to plan for such an event. 

According to that team, presenting false positives to the world (ie, believing we have found alien life when we haven't, or the evidence is ambiguous) could damage trust in science.

"If, instead, we recast the search for life as a progressive endeavour, we convey the value of observations that are contextual or suggestive but not definitive and emphasize that false starts and dead ends are an expected part of a healthy scientific process," the team suggests.

What's the plan if we're not?

The International Academy of Astronautics has previously attempted to come up with a plan for dealing with a discovery of alien intelligence from first detection to disclosure to the public. In the document Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence, astronomers searching for life agreed to a number of steps. The first step, should an alien signal be observed, is to rule out other explanations for it. Teams should contact other involved parties or other astronomers who could independently observe the signal and help determine its cause.

Following this, and assuming that the signal is technological, the astronomers should report the finding to the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams of the International Astronomical Union, as well as "the General of the United Nations in accordance with Article XI of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Bodies".

"Should credible evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence be discovered, an international committee of scientists and other experts should be established to serve as a focal point for continuing analysis of all observational evidence collected in the aftermath of the discovery, and also to provide advice on the release of information to the public," the document declares.

From here, the scientists involved would be expected to make their work available for all to analyze and interpret.

"A confirmed detection of extraterrestrial intelligence should be disseminated promptly, openly, and widely through scientific channels and public media, observing the procedures in this declaration. The discoverer should have the privilege of making the first public announcement," the paper explains, adding:

"If the evidence of detection is in the form of electromagnetic signals, the parties to this declaration should seek international agreement to protect the appropriate frequencies by exercising procedures available through the International Telecommunication Union."

According to that document, no response should be sent to any alien lifeform until international consultations on the matter have taken place.

It's time for a new plan 

In a new paper, a team of researchers from the SETI Post Detection Hub at the University of St Andrews in the UK has again tackled this question. The team notes that the 1989 declaration "set foundational standards of scientific rigor and transparency, yet predate the internet and contemporary technologies", adding that "updated protocols from the 2010s could also not account for the complexity of rapid global media dissemination, and fresh revision efforts are currently underway."

The team highlights earlier potential detections of alien signatures, when Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsars in 1967, as evidence that further planning is needed for communicating the discovery to the public. On top of this, the speed of communication in a species that has developed the Internet may make the response more difficult.

"Major astrobiology discoveries require real-time coordination, governance, and crisis response. Without a Post-Detection SETI Hub, NASA risks a gap in the system, akin to a Moon landing without astronaut retrieval or public engagement," the team writes in their paper. 

"Just as NASA developed aerospace emergency protocols for Apollo and post-landing (PL) procedures such as quarantine, scientific analysis, and public communication, SETI post-detection must establish adaptive frameworks ready for 'live' situations that integrate scientific, diplomatic, and societal expertise to manage verification, communication risks, and global response."

The team suggests that NASA and other organizations must begin strategic planning for communicating the message to the public, as well as putting more thought into what form a message might take. In terms of overall goals, the team suggests that NASA should prioritize advanced detection technology and methodologies, as well as investing in "other minds" research, for example, the SETI project aimed at communicating with whales. 

"Collaborations between neuroscientists and philosophers continue to refine conceptual frameworks, exploring how consciousness and signal detection might function in alien contexts," they write. "Computational modeling, drawing on thermodynamics, entropy minimization, and the free energy principle, may offer further ways to explore life’s structuring principles across cosmic distances."

The team believes that NASA is in a unique position to lead the response to any message, though they will need to focus more on global coordination and preparedness, as well as nailing down their communication responses.

"By investing in long-term infrastructure, interdisciplinary research, and global collaborations, NASA Astrobiology can significantly advance preparedness, positioning itself as a leader in post-detection readiness and strategic response," the team concludes.

The study is uploaded to the pre-print server arXiv.