Could aliens ever visit Earth? An aerospace scientist unpacks the challenges of interstellar spaceflight.
The article discusses the challenges of interstellar spaceflight and the plausibility of alien visitors to Earth. It highlights the vast distances between stars and the engineering constraints that would limit the speed of any potential spacecraft. The piece also explores innovative propulsion methods that could theoretically enable such journeys, emphasizing the significant energy requirements involved.
- ▪The closest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri, is 4.25 light-years away, making interstellar travel a daunting challenge.
- ▪No object can exceed the speed of light, and engineering constraints limit realistic cruise velocities to around 19,000 miles per second.
- ▪Innovative propulsion methods, such as using high-powered laser beams, could potentially allow for travel without onboard fuel, but would require immense energy and infrastructure.
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Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Rohan Naidu (MIT); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), CC BY This article was originally featured on The Conversation. On May 22, 2026, the Pentagon released a second batch of previously classified photos and videos showing what appear to be unexplained flying objects. These file dumps were the culmination of a process that was set in motion back in July 2023, when a group of government whistleblowers testified before Congress that the U.S. government was secretly in possession of extraterrestrial spacecraft and suspected alien body parts. That congressional hearing marked the beginning of a cultural shift in which UFO reports are increasingly treated as a matter for serious discussion, both within the government and the scientific community.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Popular Science.
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