Could Extraterrestrials Survive Space Travel?

Researchers who study attribution theory and cognitive bias [1,2,3] point out the dangers of assuming others will have the same values, motivations, constraints, and behaviors that we do. The world, it turns out, is not populated with carbon copies of ourselves.

While exploring the possibility that extra-terrestrials (ETs) have visited Earth in a new book I wrote with Eric Haseltine, “The New Science of UFOs: New insights into an old mystery,” it occurred to me that, in investigating the origins of UFOs, it is also critical to avoid “projecting” ourselves onto others, especially when those “others” might not be from Earth.

For example, a common argument against the possibility that ETs are behind some UFO sightings is that no intelligent life form could survive the rigors of interstellar travel to get here from far distant planets, or could survive the extreme accelerations that some UFOs, such as those reported by Navy pilots in 2004 and 2015 have exhibited (the equivalent of crashing into a brick wall going hundreds of miles an hour).

But astrobiology, the study of life beyond Earth, suggests that these arguments, grounded in human biology, could be flawed.

Surviving interstellar travel to reach Earth

With known physics and advanced propulsion systems, it would take ETs hundreds or even thousands of years to reach Earth across the vast divide of interstellar space. Thus, either ETs would need extraordinary life spans or some form of ultralong hibernation to survive the journey. But even with long lifespans or suspended animation, the constant radiation present in outer space would surely sicken, then kill anyone attempting such a long journey. Or so the conventional wisdom goes.

However, astrobiologists studying unusual forms of life on our planet to better understand how life might thrive in extreme conditions outside of Earth have discovered that assumptions about what lifeforms cannot tolerate in outer space need to be re-evaluated. Here are some examples.

• Very long lifespan: Species such as Greenland sharks and tortoises live hundreds of years [4,5], while other species, such as some jellyfish and hydras, might essentially be immortal [6,7]. Thus, even without genetic engineering, ETs with biology similar to long-lived creatures on Earth might survive very long journeys through space.
• Ultra-long hibernation: Some nematodes (round worms) have been revived after being frozen over 45,000 years [8], proving that life can be sustained in a state of ultra-low metabolism for very long times.
• Radiation resistance: Multiple organisms have been found on Earth that not only survive prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation (X-rays, Gamma rays) but thrive on it, extracting energy from the radioactive decay of naturally occurring minerals [9]. Among these life forms are multicellular creatures such as tardigrades (water bears) and fungi, as well as extremophile microorganisms [10,11].
• Survival in the cold vacuum of outer space: Tardigrades can survive in the vacuum and ultra-low temperatures of outer space [12]. Russian scientists discovered organisms such as sea plankton on the outer surface of the International Space Station in biofilms [13]. Thus, ETs traveling through space, in theory, could have biology similar to earthly extremophiles that let them survive even without the elaborate life support (pressurized atmosphere and heating) that humans require.

Surviving extreme accelerations and decelerations

The most credible UFO sightings are those of Navy pilots over the Pacific and Atlantic in 2004 and 2015, which were corroborated by multiple observers and recorded on video and radar. In one sighting in 2004 near San Diego, Navy pilots reported “tic-tac” shaped objects that started and stopped flying nearly instantaneously, with G forces (one G being equivalent to the acceleration of Earth’s gravity) that would pulverize any human. Some estimates are that the Navy-reported UFOs accelerated at 1,000s of G, whereas humans cannot survive more than 15 Gs. For reference, a car crashing into a wall at 60 miles an hour experiences roughly 40 Gs.

But again, astrobiology, by finding lifeforms on Earth that can survive extreme conditions, calls into question the assumption that extraterrestrial UFO operators would be pulverized by extreme accelerations and decelerations.

• Tardigrades can survive thousands of Gs (in centrifuges) [14].
• Sea creatures, such as angler fish, living in deep ocean trenches can thrive with pressures over 15,000 pounds/square inch, or more 1,000 times the atmospheric pressure we experience at sea level [15]. Such extreme pressures stress tissues in ways similar to extreme accelerations and decelerations.

So, if life can exist under extreme conditions, does it actually exist in outer space?

Thus far, no life forms have been discovered in outer space. However, there are tantalizing hints that life might well exist outside of Earth.

• Building blocks of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) have been found on meteorites, as well as amino acids (constituents of proteins)[16,17].
• The Webb space telescope might have discovered a compound normally produced by life forms on Earth, dimethyl sulfide, in the atmosphere of an exoplanet in the constellation Leo [18].
• Some astrobiologists believe in a theory called “Panspermia” in which life on Earth rode here in the form of micro-organisms in a meteor or space dust [19]. The existence of extremophiles on Earth that can live thousands of years and thrive in ultra-low and ultra-high temperatures, and in a vacuum, lends credence to these theories.

Conclusion

Even on Earth, the astonishing variety of life forms suggests that ETs, which presumably would be even more different from humans than exotic life forms on our own planet, could indeed survive the harsh conditions of space travel and extreme accelerations/decelerations exhibited by some UFOs.

This doesn’t mean that UFOs exhibiting astonishing flight performance have ETs on them, but astrobiology does suggest that ETs could, in theory, be responsible for some UFOs.

Sooner or later (sooner, I hope), we will learn the truth because, as the popular meme goes...

…the truth is out there.