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=== Extraterrestrial Life: Likelihood ===

=== Extraterrestrial Life: Likelihood ===

The scientific literature, and the popular culture, are rife with anecdotes purporting to testify to the existence of extraterrestrial life, both microbial and "intelligent"--that is, capable of building a civilization and a nation-state and possibly a vast military command. Stories of [[unidentified flying object]]s abound, and indeed the [[United States Air Force]] investigated the possibility directly over a period of twenty-two years.<ref>Anonymous, "[http://www.ufoevidence.org/topics/ProjectBlueBook.htm Project Blue Book]", ''[http://www.ufoevidence.org/ UFO Evidence.org]'', retrieved April 16, 2007</ref><ref>Anonymous, ''[http://www.bluebookarchive.org/ The Project Blue Book Archive]'', retrieved April 16, 2007</ref><ref>Fund for Unidentified Flying Object Research (FUFOR), ''[http://www.nicap.org/index.htm Official Site of the National Investigative Committee for Aerial Phenomena]'', Francis L. Ridge, editor and Webmaster, December 15, 1997 to present. Retrieved April 16, 2007.</ref>

The scientific literature, and the popular culture, are rife with anecdotes purporting to testify to the existence of extraterrestrial life, both microbial and "intelligent"--that is, capable of building a civilization and a nation-state and possibly a vast military command. Stories of [[UFO|unidentified flying object]]s abound, and indeed the [[United States Air Force]] investigated the possibility directly over a period of twenty-two years.<ref>Anonymous, "[http://www.ufoevidence.org/topics/ProjectBlueBook.htm Project Blue Book]", ''[http://www.ufoevidence.org/ UFO Evidence.org]'', retrieved April 16, 2007</ref><ref>Anonymous, ''[http://www.bluebookarchive.org/ The Project Blue Book Archive]'', retrieved April 16, 2007</ref><ref>Fund for Unidentified Flying Object Research (FUFOR), ''[http://www.nicap.org/index.htm Official Site of the National Investigative Committee for Aerial Phenomena]'', Francis L. Ridge, editor and Webmaster, December 15, 1997 to present. Retrieved April 16, 2007.</ref>

However, no definitive evidence exists that these objects are anything other than misinterpreted weather phenomena or perhaps super-secret military aerospace prototypes. Neither has any [[Astronomy|astronomer]] or [[astronaut]] reported a definite sighting of, much less contact with, any carrier-like vessel that would have been capable of launching any of the alleged two-seater or similar small-crewed craft that various "witnesses" report having encountered. Nor has any [[physics|physicist]] yet suggested a method by which such a craft could have visited our [[solar system]], given the fixed speed limit set by the [[Special Theory of Relativity]].

However, no definitive evidence exists that these objects are anything other than misinterpreted weather phenomena or perhaps super-secret military aerospace prototypes. Neither has any [[Astronomy|astronomer]] or [[astronaut]] reported a definite sighting of, much less contact with, any carrier-like vessel that would have been capable of launching any of the alleged two-seater or similar small-crewed craft that various "witnesses" report having encountered. Nor has any [[physics|physicist]] yet suggested a method by which such a craft could have visited our [[solar system]], given the fixed speed limit set by the [[Special Theory of Relativity]].