🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <19110@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> bobmon@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (RAMontante) writes:

>SINCE I've got the bandwidth now, remember that the Apollo crews had to
>go into isolation on their return just in case they had encounters with
>alien viruses, germs, or cooties.  Inability to quarantine the Shuttle
>crews is one way they aren't "equipped for alien contact".  They also
>aren't equipped to destroy any important/secret materials if such
>becomes necessary.  (Maybe the Aliens are plague-ridden Cubans intent
>on hijacking the Shuttle, transferring all the neat hardware to Mir,
>and crashing it into the Pentagon...)

Come on, people, let's use our heads here.

Let's assume first contact, just for the fun of it.

Now, what do we know?

Well, 

I.  We don't want physical contact.  If the aliens are insistent we
may risk it, but germs aren't an issue until then - the shuttle and
the alien vessel would get near each other and then they would talk.

II.  Any secret material carried on the shuttle is likely to be secret
mainly because of its technological content.  If the aliens get here
they don't need it and keeping it secret from them is not very
important.


There are a million and one things you would want on a first contact.
Off hand I would come up with the following:

Teams of ...
	Psychologists
	Ethnologists,
	Scientists of every type,
	Representatives from majore international trading companies,
	Military technolgy specialists,
	Military strategists and analysts,
	Management consultants,
	Linguists
	Biologists

A heavily armed brigade of space marines,

A bunch of fighters equipped for a space battle

A large number of space to space nuclear missiles

Some high powered lasers, particle beams, and other exotic
technologies in orbit with all systems off waiting for an on signal to
start burning.

A complete vbiological laboratory equipped to work with extremely
dangerous and contagious agents.  (I believe the correct designation is P-4).

A module of some type that can be filled with any atmosphere we
can think of so that we can host the aliens if they wish.

A complete manufacturing facility so that we can provide them with
comfortable furniture if we do host them.

All of this should take into account the fact that the aliens may be
anything from 20 pound midgets to hundred ton whales and all of it
(including the people) should be equipped for emergency destruction
(our personnel, for example, could have radio-detonated explosives in
a necklace around their necks).

Basically, there is so much that you would want that you could never
get it all into space.

So what do you need?

A vehicle - the shuttle.

Contact personnel - the astronauts.

Communications equipment to contact the aliens - on the shuttle.

Ground side experts - available at any time.

All of the above is always available, so the shuttle is always as
ready for alien contact as necessary.


Small arms fire can bridge the gaps that divide    |||Mike Friedman
the different peoples of the world on many issues. |||quoting Anthony Lovell