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211 The remote contact scenario makes the search seem harmless, Harrison suggested, because we can choose not to reveal our presence. Even if our presence becomes known, we expect to be protected by vast physical distances.’ Fear of the Unknown? Chris Boyce critiqued the remote contact scenario in a more pointed way. Many astronomers seem to believe that it is preferable to converse with other intelligences by radio, with many years of timelag, rather than to meet them face to face (emphasis added). Many of the same people tend to think that it is better to explore our solar system with machines rather than with humans. They believe that interstellar travel is impossible, or if it is possible, is undesirable, and in either case should not be discussed. If we strip these views of their supposedly philosophi- cal justifications, we find nothing more sophisticated than an unrecog- nized fear of the unknown.” The potential impact of contact changes profoundly if an extrasolar civili- zation is capable of reaching our solar system with robotic spacecraft or inhabited vehicles. Although many scientists dismiss this scenario, the public does not. Opinion polls show that those who accept the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence tend to believe that physical visits by extrater- restrials are probable within this century."! The SETI community has been extremely selective in choosing examples of past contacts between human societies, generally avoiding those that involved direct encounters. Yet, those hundreds of episodes offer the largest database for analyzing the consequences of contact between Humankind and an extraterrestrial society. SETI researchers also have tended to avoid all links to the long tradition of science fiction, with its vast variety of contemplations about First Contact. Above all, any talk of danger from contact tends to be dismissed as sensa- tionalism. As Brin saw it, this aversion gives Hollywood entirely too much power over our thinking.” Distance is critical because it structures the nature of the contact. White proposed a rule: the closer the contacting civilization, the greater the impact.'* Again, the impact would vary with the details. In an extreme scenario, a spacecraft carrying extraterrestrials would land on Earth, possibly allow- ing face-to-face communication. Although this is the most popular science fiction version of contact, the landing of an inhabited spaceship may be the least likely way for it to occur. Advanced civilizations that explore the Scenarios of Contact: Close to Home Scenarios of Contact: Close to Home