NASA has gone dark just hours before humans get the closest look at the mysterious object barreling through our solar system.
The interstellar object dubbed 3I/ATLAS will come within 18 million miles of Mars on October 3, its closest flyby of any planet this year.
Two space probes orbiting the Red Planet, Mars Express and ExoMars, are preparing to take Earth’s best picture and closest scans of the strange visitor, which scientists have widely concluded is an unusual comet from a distant solar system.
However, when those readings come in, America’s space agency may remain completely silent about what the object really is.
NASA has announced that its official website will not be updated during the government shutdown, which has resulted in thousands of federal employees being sent home without pay.
It’s unclear whether NASA staff will make any announcements regarding the object’s close pass by Mars, similar to the history-making press conference that revealed the discovery of microbial life on Mars in September.
The shutdown couldn’t have come at a worse time, as scientists say Friday’s flyby could answer many questions about the mysterious comet, including whether it’s actually an object of extraterrestrial origin.
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has maintained that 3I/ATLAS has too many confounding characteristics to be a simple comet streaking through the solar system.
Hellbound and Down 