Looking for alien artefacts on the Moon?

[rhodan]

This scientists seems to think so: from NewScientistSpace.com:<ul type="square"><b>Looking for aliens on the Moon</b><br /><br />When astronauts return to the Moon, they should keep their eyes peeled for extraterrestrial artefacts – pieces of technology from alien civilisations that have wound up on the lunar surface either by chance or design. <br /><br />So says Ian Crawford, a researcher from University of London’s Birkbeck College in the UK. He told a SETI specialist meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) in London last week that although he considers such a find a long-shot, it is definitely worth bearing in mind. <br /><br />“This is not a primary reason to go back to the Moon – there are very strong scientific reasons for going back. But if we go back to the Moon in the next 20 or 30 years, then amongst those things we might like to keep our eyes open for are alien artefacts,” Crawford told New Scientist.<br /><br /><b>Little additional cost</b><br /><br />Crawford thinks scientists will be keen for the next lunar astronauts to sift through the lunar soil in greater quantities and in more detail was possible during the Apollo era. So there would be little additional cost to remain open to the idea that alien material may exist within those upper metres of the moon’s regolith.<br /><br />Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, says the possibility of such an interesting payoff for little additional cost makes the idea of looking for artefacts worth considering. <br /><br />"On the Moon, I think it’s certainly worthwhile taking a couple hundred square feet or so of material and looking it over," he says. But SETI researchers "probably wouldn't bet their mortgages on finding anything".<br /><br />...<br /><br />In 2004, an engineer and a physicist published a paper in Nature suggesting that if extraterrestrials were n</ul>

 

[alienhunter]

Nope, not nuts. I think the term is 'visionary'... This is very far-fetched but on the other hand, since we are going there it's nuts not to look. Should be combined to other work, shouldn't cost an extra dime.<br /><br />More scientist should dare to step out of the box now and then.

 

[rhodan]

There's always a fine line between nuts and visionary of course. It just seems like a waste of resources to focus on such remote possibilities.

 

[h9c2]

I don't think he's nuts, I do think that this focus on alien artifacts is superfluous. Lunar soil analysis will be done, and the results will speak for themselves. <br /><br />Also, the "no air" argument goes two ways. The lack of atmosphere will increase erosion of the lunar surface through a higher number of impacts. <br /><br />

 

[dragon04]

If Mr Crawford is willing to pay for the metal detector, extra air, food, water and the extra propellant, he should propse the notion whent he next Moon mission does happen.<br /><br />Alienhunter is on the right track. In fact, when and if we get to the point where we approach extended or permanent settlement of the Moon, the discovery or absence of artifacts will be a byproduct of our activity.<br /><br />We will be using magnetometers, ground penetrating radar, etc., to identify places to mine and build, and to identify potential water sources.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[ordinary_guy]

I thought the bit from SETI guy and resident SDC pundit Seth Shostak was interesting:<br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, says the possibility of such an interesting payoff for little additional cost makes the idea of looking for artefacts worth considering. <br /><br />"On the Moon, I think it’s certainly worthwhile taking a couple hundred square feet or so of material and looking it over," he says. But SETI researchers "probably wouldn't bet their mortgages on finding anything". <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />Even giving the possibility consideration was surprising (and gratifying), but he hedges his bets in a very, uh, "Shostakian" fashion: <i>a parting shot of humor</i>.<br /><br />Micron-sized artifacts don't make a lot of sense. In fact, the whole idea is alien to me, which I suppose could be the point. There's always the possibility that an artifact was on the receiving end of a meteor and "micron-sized tasty bits" are all that's left. Could be a tech-threshold thing, too – <i>such as:</i> a foreign presence doesn't want to be found or otherwise influence the natives until we've reached a level of maturity where contact would mutually be beneficial (rather than stunting our growth or taxing theirs). These scenarios, though, are a real reach.<br /><br />On the other hand, exploring on a macro scale might not be a bad idea, such as looking for previously missed patterns in lunar gravity, magnetic or millimeter-length radar maps (as noted by Dragon04). If such efforts could turn up exoarchaeological artifacts though, chances are it'll happen naturally in eventual lunar development. Imagine in 30-40 years when lunar mining becomes feasible and we've got prospecting satellites in orbit, larger scale evidence will be fairly apparent and the cost will be shouldered by industry (which at least removes the immediate burden from taxpayers).<br /><br />The only complication I <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p style="font:normalnormalnormal12px/normalTimes;margin:0px"><strong>Mere precedent is a dangerous source of authority.</strong></p> <p style="font:normalnormalnormal12px/normalTimes;margin:0px">-Andrew Jackson (1767-1845)</p> </div>

 

[summoner]

My thoughts are right along with what you just posted Ordinary Guy, good post. To be realistic though I'm sure many of the older treaties will have to be rehashed before anyone is going to invest too much money into space. Not so much because of alien artifacts, but just the value of some resources in general. We'll have to some how give private firms some type of reassurance that their mining claims or territory claims can be protected, Of course this wouls all have to be within reason, but before any major mining, manufacturing will ever happen we'll have to guarantee that investment to a point. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:271px;background-color:#FFF;border:1pxsolid#999"><tr><td colspan="2"><div style="height:35px"><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/htmlSticker1/language/www/US/MT/Three_Forks.gif" alt="" height="35" width="271" style="border:0px" /></div>

 

[qso1]

I'm pretty sure if anything ET artifactwise and obvious enough is lying around the lunar base site...it won't be ignored. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>