Wacky Lawsuits: Martians…
The Weird & Wacky Lawsuits Edition 4
How can you go wrong with any lawsuit involving aliens. There are even some in Canada that we will share in the future.
Alien Enthusiast Sues NASA
Do aliens exist? It’s one of those questions that many people ponder when they look up at the night sky. While we may not have any conclusive evidence of life on other planets, it is quite possible and perhaps even likely that there are other life forms out there. It’s interesting to think about. However, sometimes, people take things a couple of steps too far in their interest to “find the truth”. Gary McKinnon, a hacker who delved into the files of NASA and the US military to find out what they know about alien life is one extreme example. Another is a lawsuit filed in 2014.
What’s the Lawsuit About?
The suit actually comes from a scientist in California named Dr. Joseph. He is suing NASA for failing, or refusing, to investigate a rock found by the Mars Rover. He claims that the rock is actually an alien life form, a fungus, and that they were failing to do their duty by not investigating it properly. Joseph filed his suit in the US District Court in San Francisco against NASA as well as Charles Bolden, their administrator. In the petition he filed, he said, “The refusal to take close up photos from various angles, the refusal to take microscopic images of the specimen, the refusal to release high resolution photos, is inexplicable, recklessly negligent, and bizarre.”
Joseph also believes that the object is growing since it was first spotted in earlier pictures. NASA has a different explanation, and they do not feel as though it is any type of alien life. They claim that it is merely a rock, although it has “an unusual amount of sulfur, magnesium, and manganese”. They also do not believe that it has moved at all, as others claim. Instead, they say that the rover must have bumped into the rock and moved it.
What Does Joseph Want?
Joseph is demanding that NASA release the high resolution pictures of the object, as well as 24 microscopic shots of the interior, and he wants all of the information made public. Naturally, he also wants the naming rights too. While it might seem outlandish, Joseph is very serious about this belief, and he has others who are backing him up on this. Even if he were right – which is unlikely – and it was an alien life fom, the chance of that information coming out because of a lawsuit is downright slim.
It’s important to note that this is not Joseph’s only fringe type of theory. He’s written a number of papers and books covering the September 11 attacks, as well as alien life. For many, these things discredit his credibility as a scientist, and it is quite unlikely that this suit goes anywhere.
The Truth Is Out There
Even though Joseph might not be correct about the alien fungus on Mars, which sounds like a great 1950s B-movie title, it doesn’t mean that others won’t continually peruse NASA’s images and videos looking for proof. While that probably won’t be the way that humans discover alien life, it does make for some fine entertainment.