THE UNIVERSE, as far as we know, is infinite. Our Milky Way galaxy alone contains over 200 billion stars, many of which may have planets. Most people today, scientists and the general public alike, believe that life must exist elsewhere in the universe. Many believe that some planets may even harbor intelligent life.
If only one percent of the stars in our own galaxy have planets, and
If only one percent of those planets can support life, and
If only one percent of those life-bearing worlds developed intelligent life, and
If only one percent of intelligent aliens developed the technology to send a signal or to travel to other stars, then there could be at least 2,000 extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy alone that might have the ability to contact Earth.
And there are well over 100 billion galaxies that we know of in the universe, each composed of hundreds of billions of stars.
Many people believe, even if the number of space-faring civilizations is high, that the distances between the stars are too great for anyone to travel from their world to ours and that signals might be the only form contact can take.
However, there are now a number of new scientific theories that indicate this may not be true. Many physicists now believe it’s possible that wormholes, quantum tunneling and folded space may, with a sufficiently advanced technology, provide methods by which beings from one solar system could conceivably travel to another system in a very short period of time.
The question isn’t “can they get here?” anymore, it’s “if they get here, what do we do about it?”
What if, one day, Earth was contacted by one of these hypothetical civilizations? How, as a planet, would we respond to their offer to interact? What if they asked, “Do you have a method in place, or even a policy that outlines how Earth will proceed now that contact has happened?”
We would have to answer “No.”
Many people believe that, if we are now asking this question ourselves, then it’s time to provide an answer.
We believe that the “Extraterrestrial Contact Act” is that answer.
THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL CONTACT ACT is a bill that, when enacted into law, will establish a Contact Protocol to allow public interaction with Extraterrestrial Intelligences that may make, or express a desire to make peaceful contact with the people of Earth.
Such a meeting would be so momentous and the impact upon our world so powerful, that even if the probability of extraterrestrial contact is remote, we should nevertheless have at least a basic plan in place so that humanity has the ability to respond appropriately to an event of this magnitude.
What would the consequences be if we were unprepared for such an event?
What opportunities for learning and advancement might be missed?
Even if such an event doesn’t occur in our lifetime, this first, simple step in exo-political diplomacy will benefit future generations by providing a foundation they can build upon as our global society slowly but inevitably matures into an interstellar civilization.
What may be science fiction today, could be science fact tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Darryl Anka
Extraterrestrial Contact Act
To establish a protocol to allow public interaction with Extraterrestrial Intelligences that may make, or express a desire to make peaceful contact with the people of Earth.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘Extraterrestrial Contact Act of 2005’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PROCEDURES PRIOR TO ACTIVATION OF CONTACT PROTOCOL.
(1) Upon enactment of this Act, all members of the public, whether individual or in groups, shall immediately have —
(a ) The irrevocable right to freely interact, associate and communicate with Extraterrestrial Intelligences, whether on or off the Earth, within the guidelines set forth in the Contact Protocol; and
(b ) The irrevocable right to freely discuss, record, transcribe and communicate to others, within the guidelines of the Contact Protocol, the nature and content of such interactions, associations and communications with Extraterrestrial Intelligences.
(2) Upon enactment of this Act, the Extraterrestrial Contact Act organization (“ECA”) shall immediately and irrevocably have –
(a ) The right to globally promote similar versions of this Act and its Contact Protocol and to lobby for its adoption by other nations of Earth; and
(b) The right to suggest additions, deletions and/or other changes to the Contact Protocol, and the right to receive and coordinate suggestions for additions, deletions and/or changes to the Contact Protocol from the citizens of each nation; and
(c ) The right to establish, oversee and conduct an international voting procedure by which the leaders of each nation, as representatives of its citizens, can cast one vote per nation either for or against such additions, deletions and/or other changes; and
(d ) The right to officially add, delete and/or make changes to the Contact Protocol upon the ECA’s confirmation of majority approval of such additions, deletions and/or other changes.
SEC. 3. CONTACT PROTOCOL.
In the event that an Extraterrestrial Intelligence makes, attempts to make, or expresses a desire to make peaceful contact with the people of Earth, the President of the United States shall —
(1) Make every reasonable effort to establish contact with the Extraterrestrial Intelligence and to confirm, in a timely manner, their peaceful intentions and that such Intelligence poses no biological danger or other unintended threat or harm to Earth; and
(2) Upon confirmation of the Extraterrestrial’s peaceful intentions and absence of biological or other danger, threat or harm, immediately order the stand down and cessation of all military, agency, departmental, public, corporate or private activities that might be reasonably interpreted by the Extraterrestrial as a refusal of contact or a threat to the Extraterrestrial’s safety and security; and
(3) Immediately inform the leaders of all other nations, the representatives of the United Nations, NASA, SETI and the ECA, via the organization’s Executive Director (“Director”), of the existence and nature of the Extraterrestrial contact and to include the above individuals and organizations in any discussions with respect to the content of all public announcements revealing the Extraterrestrial’s existence or nature to the public; and
(4) Within twenty four hours thereafter, make a globally-televised public announcement of the existence and nature of the Extraterrestrial contact; and
(5) Immediately schedule and facilitate a globally-televised interaction between the Extraterrestrial Intelligence, the President, the representatives of the United Nations, NASA, SETI and the ECA in order to freely negotiate, establish, coordinate and conduct a protocol for peaceful, continuing, global and mutually beneficial relations with the Extraterrestrial Intelligence and its respective society.
Upon establishment of contact and interaction with any Extraterrestrial Intelligence, the ECA shall —
(1) Create reports containing all the details of contact and the progress of the interaction with the Extraterrestrial Intelligence, if any, not later than 90 days after the initiation of such contact and every six months thereafter for the duration of the interaction; and
(2) Make those reports a matter of public record and available to the public upon request for a reasonable fee to cover costs of duplication, mailing, on-line services and other reasonable charges; and
(3) Announce the progress of the interaction, if any, to the public every six months via televised and website-posted reports.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
(1) The term ‘Extraterrestrial Intelligence’ means any consciousness, entity or sentient being, whether individual or collective, physically corporeal, incorporeal or inter-dimensional, whose point of origin is other than from Earth or Earth’s spatial or temporal plane of existence.
(2) The term ‘Earth’ means the planet in its entirety and its distinct components, including the people of Earth and all natural and artificial infrastructures, biosystems, ecosystems and geosystems.
(3) The term ‘biological danger’ means a pathogen, chemical, or other organism, substance, procedure, device or agent that would cause physical threat, harm, death or destruction to Earth, its people, its natural and artificial infrastructures, biosystems, ecosystems and geosystems.
(4) The term ‘peaceful’ means inclined or disposed to peace; devoid of violence or force; without recourse to warlike methods.
SEC. 5. RELATED SUBJECTS INCLUDED IN THIS ACT.
The potential impact and effects of contact with an Extraterrestrial Intelligence on the social, political, economic, religious, cultural, psychological and other aspects of human society are difficult to predict and thus, these subjects are beyond the scope of this Act, excepting that —
(1) In the understanding that such open contact and subsequent interaction with an Extraterrestrial Intelligence might conceivably generate both profound and subtle changes in the above aspects of society as a whole, or to individuals within it, it is the intention and purpose of this Act that —
(a) Its enactment will mitigate, or lessen, any such changes and/or effects that might be deemed harmful to those aspects; and
(b) Its enactment will help to generate positive and constructive changes and effects by preparing human society in advance for such initial changes and their effects; and
(c ) Its enactment will allow for such preparation by educating the public as to the possibility of contact with Extraterrestrial Intelligence and through the establishment and promotion of the Contact Protocol that will provide for an official, globally approved and unified response to such contact; and
(d ) Its enactment and/or adoption will supersede and replace any other policy or procedure pertaining to such contact presently in place within any nation or organization; and
(e ) Its enactment will guarantee the irrevocable right of the public to freely interact with Extraterrestrial Intelligences without punitive consequences of any kind, barring infractions of laws in force that do not contravene nor contradict the purpose and intention of the Contact Protocol.
