UFO sightings have long been a source of wonder for Americans. (© kolbass - stock.adobe.com)
On May 22, 2026, the Pentagon released a second batch of previously classified photos and videos showing what appear to be unexplainedflying objects. These file dumps were the culmination of a process that was set in motionback in July 2023, when a group of government whistleblowers testified before Congress that the U.S. government was secretly in possession of extraterrestrial spacecraft and suspected alien body parts.
That congressional hearing marked the beginning of a cultural shift in whichUFO reportsare increasingly treated as a matter for serious discussion, both within the governmentand the scientific community.
But is this newfound legitimacy deserved? Asan aerospace scientistwho studies aircraft and spacecraft design, I approach this question using math, physics and the principles of engineering. To assess the plausibility of alien visitors, it’s necessary to understand the obstacles that an extraterrestrial vessel would need to overcome to reach Earth.
There is no evidence of intelligent alien life in our solar system. So any extraterrestrial visitors would likely have to come from another star system within ourMilky Way galaxy.
Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, is located4.25 light-years(about 25 trillion miles or 40 trillion kilometers) away.
For perspective, if Earth were the size of a pea, the distance to Proxima Centauri would roughly equal the distance between New York and Sydney, Australia.
Since only a fraction of stars are thought to host intelligent life, thenearest alien civilization– if one exists – is surely much farther away than Proxima.
Given the scale of interstellar distances, it’s inevitable that any alien voyage to Earth would span many years and possibly several centuries. But as the time spent in transit increases, so does the risk of catastrophic accidents or system malfunctions that could jeopardize the mission. So it’s important to avoid an overly lengthy journey by traveling as fast as possible.
No objectcan reach or exceed the speed of light(roughly 186,000 miles or 300,000 kilometers per second). But well before approaching that threshold, engineering constraints begin to assert themselves. Limited fuel availability and the potential for structural damage will restrict the spacecraft’s peak velocity.
Source: Drudge Report
