Categories: Technology

Could the United Nations be about to appoint an ambassador for the final frontier?

United Nations' flag

In a decision that would have Gene Roddenberry spinning in his space urn (if it hadn’t burned up on re-entry) several UN scientific committees are set to discuss the possibility of appointing a full-time ambassador for alien affairs.

The holder of the position would be responsible for coordinating humanity’s response to alien contact and, presumably, would also need to know how to make the Vulcan peace sign.

The head of United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), Mazlan Othman, is the likely candidate to hold the inaugural position. This would mark UNOOSA’s first major foray into interplanetary diplomacy. The agency is currently tasked with “coordinating international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space,” which includes the important, albeit uninspiring, task of maintaining a list of objects launched into space.

The decision to discuss the appointment of a full-time first-contact officer apparently comes from the increasing use of satellite equipment designed to detect alien radio signals as well as the large number of extrasolar planets found in the past 10 years.

According to Othman, “The continued search for extraterrestrial communication, by several entities, sustains the hope that some day human kind will received signals from extraterrestrials.”

The discussion follows Professor Stephen Hawking’s warning earlier this year in which he said that “It would be ‘too risky’ to attempt to make contact with alien races.”

Ajit Jain

Ajit Jain is marketing and sales head at Octal Info Solution, a leading iPhone app development company and offering platform to hire Android app developers for your own app development project. He is available to connect on Google Plus, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

View Comments

Recent Posts

DARPA to simulate disease outbreaks: model lockdown, vaccination & messaging strategies

Why is DARPA modeling disease outbreaks & intervention strategies while simultaneously looking to predict &…

1 day ago

ManagedMethods launches Advanced Phishing solution against rising tide of malicious emails 

Earlier this year, a report from non-profit organization the Center for Internet Security shone a…

2 days ago

DARPA ‘CoasterChase’ looks to mitigate stress with ingestible neurotech

DARPA is putting together a research program called CoasterChase that aims to mitigate warfighters' stress…

3 days ago

U.S. Fusion Power Plant Design Passes Independent Review

In the global race to develop and commercialize fusion power reactors, U.S. scientists have reached…

3 days ago

Pet Health Meets Convenience: New Partnership Aims to Empower Pet Owners with At-Home Testing

Innovative Pet Lab, a science-forward company offering at-home health tests for pets, today announced a…

6 days ago

Club of Rome launches joint taskforce that would restrict your food, travel & ownership choices

The 'Materials and Consumption Taskforce' is an attempt to micro-manage all aspects of your life:…

1 week ago