Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, just weighed in on the buzzy interstellar object 3I/Atlas. He also took the opportunity to promise Joe Rogan that he’ll only reveal evidence of aliens on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Finally, he pandered to conspiracy theorists a bit by repeating the “I’ll never commit suicide” meme.
If you’re just joining the 3I/Atlas chat, an object the size of Manhattan is racing through our solar system. It’s only the third interstellar object we’ve had advanced enough telescopes to observe (thus the name 3I/). Astronomers spotted it in July—it’s blasting through our solar system at 140,000 mph and should be long gone in several months.
Professor Avi Loeb’s alien spaceship theory
Harvard Professor Avi Loeb made headlines when he asked whether it might be an alien spaceship. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Professor Loeb made three interesting observations.
First, he points out that the object’s massive size and high nickel content make it extremely unlikely to have occurred naturally in space. Second, he says that it’s not dragging a vapor trail like you’d expect from a comet this size that is mostly ice. Finally, he points out that its flight plan—passing relatively close by multiple planets—is a “one-in-500 coincidence” but would be perfect for a probe.
Elon Musk on 3I/Atlas
A few days after Professor Loeb’s appearance, Joe Rogan welcomed Elon Musk back to his podcast. The 3I/Atlas mystery must have been on the host’s mind because he took the opportunity to ask Musk about the object.
Musk focused on the composition of the object. “Nickel-heavy comets and asteroids aren’t uncommon. That doesn’t make them spaceships.” Musk added that if an intelligent species were designing a spacecraft, nickel would be an odd choice. “It’s made of really heavy material. A nickel spaceship wouldn’t be very practical.”
He admits, “It’s possible” the object is artificial—but like many experts, he doesn’t sound convinced.
Has SpaceX seen alien life?
In his SpaceX research, has Elon Musk seen any evidence of alien life? Nothing conclusive. But he made an interesting promise: “If I ever came across solid evidence of aliens, Joe, I promise I’ll announce it on your show.”
Musk, always the edgelord, also took the opportunity to repeat a common internet meme. Since the mysterious suicide of Jeffrey Epstein, many conspiracy theorists repeat “I’d never commit suicide” whenever speaking publicly about controversial subjects. The joke is that they might be talking about something that someone, somewhere, would assassinate them for discussing—and perhaps try to make their death look like a suicide.
Musk concluded, “And just to be absolutely clear, I’m never committing suicide, ever. I’m saying it in front of the camera, guys.”
