NASA is facing mounting pressure from lawmakers and scientists to release data on interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, after the agency publicly reassured Kim Kardashian but stayed silent on requests from Congress and researchers probing potential alien tech origins.
3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar visitor ever detected in our solar system. The object has exhibited unusual behavior since discovery, including an unexpected glow, rapid rotation, and what Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has suggested could be self-illumination.
Loeb has argued there is a 40% chance the object is artificial technology rather than a comet, and it may have even transmitted a message to Earth back in 1977.
The mystery deepened after its close pass by the Sun on October 29. As it approached, 3I/ATLAS brightened dramatically and shifted to a vivid blue. Scientists also observed signs of “non-gravitational acceleration,” meaning it sped up in ways gravity alone can’t explain.
NASA urged to release 3I/ATLAS data as possible alien craft speeds up and turns blue
Despite the growing interest, NASA has not released fresh images or measurements of the object. That silence hit a nerve when the agency instead responded directly to Kim Kardashian’s public question about 3I/ATLAS.
“NASA’s observations show that this is the third interstellar comet to pass through our solar system,” acting NASA chief Sean Duffy wrote on X. “No aliens. No threat to life here on Earth.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna published a letter requesting data and urging NASA to prioritize observation efforts.
“We would like to see images of 3IATLAS,” she captioned a photo of the letter shared on X.
“This information is of great importance to advancing our understanding of interstellar visitors,” Luna wrote in a letter to Duffy. She requested NASA direct the Juno spacecraft near Jupiter to capture radio and visual data on 3I/ATLAS, arguing that it could reveal composition and trajectory details absent from ground-based observation.
Harvard’s Avi Loeb criticized the agency’s radio silence, accusing NASA of slow-walking transparency while entertaining celebrity commentary.
“My complaint is there was an immediate response to [Kim Kardashian] but no response to us,” Loeb told NewsNation, claiming the agency is “sabotaging the progress of science” by withholding images and updates. He also suggested NASA may be using the ongoing government shutdown as cover to delay public documentation.
The astrophysicist further joked in a blog post, saying that Kim Kardashian was welcome to join his research team on 3I/ATLAS.
The agency continues to insist 3I/ATLAS is simply a comet. But with the object showing color changes, acceleration, and behavior scientists did not forecast, pressure is growing for hard data instead of public reassurance.
Loeb and Luna have even expressed concerns that if 3I/ATLAS is an alien mothership, it could release mini probes while out of Earth’s view.
“Didn’t quite land”: Julia Fox sparks outrage for dressing up as Jackie Kennedy post-JFK assassination