Rep. Luna and Harvard Astronomer Urge NASA to Monitor Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS for Possible Small Probes
Anna Paulina Luna and Avi Loeb asked NASA to task orbital assets to observe the Manhattan-sized object as it approaches the Sun, while the agency classifies it as a comet.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb on Friday urged NASA to monitor the Manhattan-sized interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS as it approaches the Sun, saying it could conceivably release small “mini-probes” that might arrive at Earth and appear as unidentified aerial phenomena.
NASA has publicly described 3I/ATLAS as a comet; the agency has not announced plans to redirect spacecraft to observe it. Luna and Loeb made their call during an appearance on "The Sol Foundation" podcast, where they suggested that NASA task existing orbiters, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Juno probe at Jupiter, to gather additional observations as 3I/ATLAS passes near the Sun later this month.
Loeb, who has in the past argued that another interstellar visitor, ʻOumuamua, merited consideration as a possible artificial object, said during the podcast that "If we are visited by a technological object like 3I/ATLAS — it could either visit us or release some mini-probes that arrive to Earth and appear as UAP." He added, "And we need to be aware of that possibility." Luna said she had asked a research team to monitor the sky after October when the object comes closest to the Sun "just to check if there is any additional activity in the atmosphere of the Earth as a result of it releasing, maybe, mini-probes."
Scientists and space agencies routinely observe newly discovered comets and interstellar objects to characterize their composition, trajectory and activity. 3I/ATLAS drew attention after telescopic observations suggested an interstellar trajectory and an active coma consistent with cometary behavior. NASA investigators typically use ground-based telescopes and space observatories to refine orbital parameters and study outgassing or fragmentation. Altering the course of planetary orbiters or deep-space probes to intercept or closely observe small bodies is technically complex, requires mission planning and approvals, and can carry operational risks for the spacecraft.
Calls to repurpose the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter or the Juno probe would face engineering and budgetary constraints as well as mission-priority considerations. NASA has not confirmed whether it will change current spacecraft trajectories or task additional assets to follow 3I/ATLAS. Agency scientists generally emphasize peer-reviewed analysis and coordinated observations across international and institutional networks when assessing objects from beyond the solar system.
Interest in interstellar visitors has grown since the discovery of the first confirmed interstellar object, and scientists say such objects offer rare opportunities to study material formed around other stars. Researchers have used optical, infrared and radio telescopes to examine the size, reflectivity and gas emissions of incoming objects to distinguish natural cometary activity from other possibilities. The extent and timing of observational campaigns depend on an object’s brightness, approach vector and available observing platforms.
Loeb and Luna’s remarks add to public debate about how agencies should respond to anomalous or poorly understood objects, a discussion that has included congressional attention to unidentified aerial phenomena in recent years. Scientists and agency officials continue to weigh how best to allocate resources to both routine planetary science missions and opportunistic observations of transient interstellar visitors. As 3I/ATLAS moves through the inner solar system in the coming weeks, astronomers worldwide plan to collect additional data to refine its characteristics and behavior.