There were rumors of the United Nations appointing an alien ambassador spread on the internet. Sunday was when all of these begun flying. The job was expected to go to Mazlan Othman. Othman is head of the U.N. Office for Outer space Affairs. He is also a Malaysian astrophysicist. Othman said on record that it would only happen if it were in reaction to extraterrestrial visitors already come. Rapidly growing discoveries of planets outside the solar system make the possibility of extraterrestrial contact less outrageous than in the recent past. Earth was given a warning about extraterrestrial existence as a result of all the concerns. This warning came from Stephen Hawking. Othman e-mailed the British newspaper to set things straight. There will be no ambassador to space.
Why would the U.N. be in charge of answering aliens anyhow?
The rumor flew around the globe as it “broke” in the Sunday Times that Mazlan Othman would be the ambassador appointed by the United Nations to visit aliens. The search for alien transmission was something Othman spoke about in a recent seminar. It was quoted in the Sunday Times. Othman thinks the U.N. should be the ones making the reaction that earth needs to have ready. The Australian was just one of the newspapers that said Othman would be in Britain in the near future to the Royal Society sponsored conference talking more about extraterrestrial contact.
Looking to see if other existence forms exist
In 1992 was when we first knew for sure there was an extra-solar planet, or exoplanet. Hundreds of exoplanets were found in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration space observatory launched in 2009 called the Kepler Mission. As the odds seem more likely that intelligent alien life may exist, British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking sounded a warning last spring. Hawking interviewed with the Sunday Times saying humanity should try getting noticed before it tries to search for more extraterrestrial life. Aliens would most likely be looking for planets to exploit for their resources. He also said we need only to look within the mirror to imagine the consequences. “We only have to take a look at ourselves to determine how intelligent existence might develop into something we would not want to meet.”
Is Earth playing sponsor to aliens?
The story about the U.N. extraterrestrial ambassador did not just come out of the blue. Othman began the rumor. Rather than jump on the bandwagon, the Guardian decided to actually check the facts. The British newspaper called the Royal Society to ask about Othman’s upcoming speech on alien contact. No one there knew anything about it. The Office for Outer Space Affairs questions were all referred someplace else by the United Nations A switchboard in Vienna is where they went. Othman told the Guardian the truth after an e-mail sent to her. She said the U.N. alien ambassador story was just a hoax. She explained, “It sounds really cool, however, I have to deny it.” There is a real problem that needs to be solved in her speech at the Royal Society. Earth may be colliding with some objects in its rotation soon which could be discussed.
The Australian
theaustralian.com.au/news/world/the-un-is-to-appoint-an-astrophysicist-to-be-the-first-contact-for-any-aliens/story-e6frg6so-1225929540635
Sunday Times
timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/space/article7107207.ece
The Guardian
guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/sep/27/un-alien-ambassador-mazlan-othman
