Have extraterrestrial motherships scattered probes metaphorically like dandelion seeds as they passed Earth?
A draft research report by the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office director, Sean Kirkpatrick and Harvard astronomy department chairman Avi Loeb suggests it might be possible.
But to be sure, the draft focuses on gathering scientific proof of such craft, starting with known interstellar objects or Near Earth Objects (NEO). Using such constraints places a “useful limit on observations of UAP” to eliminate human bias and error, they argue.
An Interstellar ‘Scout’ Mothership
One of those NEOs is Oumuamua, or “scout” in Hawaiian, long a subject of research by Loeb. In 2021, he wrote a study that considered the possibility the strange object moving 16 miles a second had an artificial origin powered by a light sail or unknown tech. Omumuamua was oddly shaped and large enough (300 to 3,000 feet long) to contain a crew, perhaps. If so, maybe it could release smaller craft as it flew by, long a subject of Sci-Fi.
By comparison, most of the potentially 4 quintillion other artificial objects around the solar system would be only several feet across.
Video about Oumuamua by LAB360:
By studying NEOs’ “physical constraints,” such as the ionization shell and cometary tail around them, the researchers can examine data to help determine if they are truly artificial objects.
“Unlike Solar system asteroids or comets, ‘Oumuamua appeared to have an extreme flat shape and was pushed away from the Sun without showing a cometary tail of gas and dust, raising the possibility that it was thin and artificial in origin,” the report states.
Six months before Oumuamua made its closest pass to Earth in March 2017, a small interstellar meteor, IM2, struck Earth. IM2’s orbit suggested it wasn’t related to Oumuamua’s orbit, but the incidents inspired an idea.
“Nevertheless, the coincidences between some orbital parameters of ‘Oumuamua and IM2 inspires us to consider the possibility that an artificial interstellar object could potentially be a parent craft that releases many small probes during its close passage to Earth, an operational construct not too dissimilar from NASA missions.”
Such probes may scatter like dandelion seeds to slowly make their way down to the Earth.
Probes Scattered Like Dandelion Seeds
In several instances, the draft compares potential ET probes to dandelion seeds. But these seeds would likely make an observable fireball upon entering the atmosphere due to friction. So, a casual observer would probably think it was a meteor.
“These ‘dandelion seeds’ could be separated from the parent craft by the tidal gravitational force of the Sun or by a maneuvering capability,” they state.
Another quote suggests the probes may deploy a parachute as they fall through the atmosphere.
“Equipped with a large surface-to-mass ratio of a parachute, technological ‘dandelion seeds’ could slow down in the Earth’s atmosphere to avoid burnup and then pursue their objectives wherever they land.”
Notably, the concept of parachuting dandelion seeds is mentioned as news of spy balloons has been a recent focus in the media. The initial reports were about a spy balloon of Chinese origin, followed by three others. There is so far no indication that any of the four objects were of extraterrestrial origin. On the other hand, Senior U.S. General VanHerck wouldn’t rule out the possibility.
Sidenote: In September 2022, the Daily Beast reported that a team of Chinese scientists was “trying to dismantle” Avi Loeb’s argument that a “super-thin light-sail could propel Oumuamua.”
Video by The Sun of an interview with General Van Hurk:
Still, a third analogy considers that dandelion seeds could self-replicate or produce their designer’s “blueprint” once reaching Earth.
“In analogy with actual dandelion seeds, the probes could propagate the blueprint of their senders. As with biological seeds, the raw materials on the planet’s surface could also be used by them as nutrients for self-replication or simply scientific exploration,” states the report.
Hard Evidence of Ephemeral Phenomena
While larger NEOs could be detectable by astronomers, smaller ones could avoid detection from telescopes, even the James Webb Telescope. However, the small NEOs would be detectable by deep space radar. They could also be visibly detected as they create fireballs in the atmosphere.
Even if determined artificial, the NEOs may not host extraterrestrial lifeforms but be powered by AI on a pre-programmed mission. Traveling vast distances across space would be difficult for organic life unless there is unknown technology and physics at work.
There is the potential that UAPs could operate in a way that is beyond our capacity to understand or test scientifically. Rather, they are related to consciousness, psychic phenomena, the paranormal, the spiritual, and interdimensional travel beyond our ability to conceive. Thus, using a purely “materialist perspective” to study ephemeral dandelion seeds could be like making an implausible wish.
Featured image: Screenshot via YouTube with dandelion seeds by SignsPub via Pixabay