“Alien Encounters” Asks: Are we Alone in the Universe?

In books, TV and movies, we have been imagining scenarios of alien encounters for as far back as we can remember.  There is even the possibility of such expressed in ancient cave drawings!  Needless to say, we have an undeniable longing to find answers to the question “are we alone in the universe?”

In two dramatic hours, ALIEN ENCOUNTERS lays out a plausible hypothetical scenario for a first contact event. What would really happen if we got a message from space? How will humans react when we learn that a message from a distant technology or a spacecraft is on its way to Earth? Will humans learn from aliens, or become colonial subjects? Some of the world’s leading astrophysicists, astrobiologists, and sci-fi writers help unravel the scientific, cultural and psychological impact of this world-changing global event. This show is made in cooperation with The SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute which was founded in 1984 and had renowned astrophysicist Carl Sagan as one of its Board of Trustee Members. Carl’s son Nick is now following in his father’s footsteps wondering, “How will we meet our galactic neighbors?”

Part 1 premieres tonight, Tuesday, March 13, at 10pm on the SCIENCE cable channel and concludes Tues. March 20 at 10pm with “The Arrival”.