"Should not hold science hostage": Scientist Avi Loeb demands transparency from NASA on “extremely valuable” 3I/ATLAS images

On October 31, 2025, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb published a new article on Medium, titled A Request for NASA to Release Scientific Data on 3I/ATLAS. 

In the article, he noted that NASA had yet to release images of the interstellar object collected by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. 

These images are said to have been taken on October 2 and 3, 2025. At the time, 3I/ATLAS is said to have passed within 30 million km of Mars. 

“These images are extremely valuable scientifically because they possess a spatial resolution of 30 kilometers per pixel, about 3 times better than the spatial resolution achieved in the best publicly available image from the Hubble Space Telescope, taken on July 21, 2025,” Loeb said.

He added that while the Hubble image was “taken from an edge-on perspective,” the HiRISE image provides a sideways perspective.

According to Loeb, the HiRISE images can be “valuable in decoding the mass loss geometry and glow around as it [3I/ATLAS] approached the Sun.”

Consequently, he condemned NASA for withholding crucial October 2 and 3 images of the interstellar object and said:

“We should not hold science hostage to the shutdown politics of the day,” referring to the October 1 government shutdown argued to be the reason for the delay.

Harvard’s Avi Loeb reached out to Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna regarding a formal request to NASA for 3I/ATLAS’ HiRISE images

In the Medium article, Loeb stressed the importance of 3I/ATLAS’s HiRISE images, noting the impact it could have on the studies being conducted around the interstellar object. 

The delay in data release was argued to be the consequence of the government shutdown on October 1, 2025.

However, some “conspiracy theorists” theorized that the delay had to do with NASA’s intention of concealing evidence for extraterrestrial life in the HiRISE images.

While the claims about 3I/ATLAS being an alien technology still remain speculative, Loeb suggested that the delay is likely a sign of “terrestrial stupidity,” and not extratraterrestrial intelligence. 

Consequently, he demanded that science must not be held “hostage” to terrestrial politics. 

“The scientific community would have greatly benefit from the dissemination of this time-sensitive data as astronomers plan follow-up observations in the coming months,” Loeb added.

Loeb had recently appeared in an episode of the Joe Rogan podcast, where he spoke about NASA withholding information on 3I/ATLAS. Loeb recalled Joe recommending that he contact NASA administrator Sean Duffy. 

He reached out to Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna regarding the formal request to NASA, following which Congresswoman wrote a letter to Duffy, dated October 31, 2025. 

In the letter, she requested the “release of specific observational data related to 3I/ATLAS, recently captured by NASA missions, as well as additional information on interstellar objects and meteors of scientific interest.”

While speaking with LADBible on October 31, 2025, Loeb criticized NASA’s lead scientist Tom Statler’s comment which opined that 3I/ATLAS “very, very strongly resembles” comets, dismissing speculations about it being alien technology. 

According to Loeb:

“The statement from NASA, or anyone else that conclusively says something and wants other opinions not to be heard is really counterproductive, because the public senses that and the public funds science.”

Loeb stated that NASA was “pretending to be the adults in the room who know the answer always in advance.”

While Loeb has not declared 3I/ATLAS to be the evidence of extraterrestrial life, he remains open to its possibility, urging other experts and enthusiasts to observe and study before forming opinions. 

Stay tuned for more updates.