When will we make first contact with an alien intelligence? Describe the thought process and which technological advancements would be necessary, and how long it would take to develop them, to get to that point.

It is difficult to predict exactly when human ity will make first contact with an al ien intelligence , as it depends on a variety of factors , including the distribution of intellig ent life in the universe , the speed of communication between civil izations , and the techn ological capabilities of both human ity and any potential al ien civil izations . \n \n However , some exper ts believe that it is likely that human ity will make first contact with an al ien intelligence within the next few dec ades . This is based on the assumption that the universe is te em ing with intellig ent life , and that it is only a matter of time before we discover evidence of this life . \n \n In order to make first contact with an al ien intelligence , human ity would need to develop a number of techn ological adv anc ements , including : \n \n 1 . Im pro ved communication techn ologies : In order to communicate with an al ien intelligence , we would need to develop techn ologies that can transmit information across vast distances . This would likely involve the development of new forms of communication , such as faster - than - light communication or the use of gravit ational waves . \n 2 . Im pro ved sens ing techn ologies : In order to detect the presence of an al ien intelligence , we would need to develop techn ologies that can detect the presence of other civil izations . This could involve the use of teles cop es to search for signs of techn ological activity , or the development of more advanced forms of rad ar and son ar to detect objects in space . \n 3 . Im pro ved space travel techn ologies : In order to travel to other plan ets and mo ons in the solar system , and eventually to other star systems , we would need to develop more advanced forms of space travel . This could involve the development of faster - than - light prop ulsion systems , or the use of more advanced forms of gravity control . \n \n It is difficult to estimate how long it would take to develop these techn ological adv anc ements , as it depends on a variety of factors , including the level of invest ment in research and development , the avail ability of resources , and the rate of techn ological progress . However , it is likely that these techn ologies would require significant invest ment and time to develop . </s>