NASA Pressured to Release High‑Resolution MRO Images of Mysterious Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

NASA Faces Calls to Publish MRO Photos of Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS

NASA is facing growing pressure to release high‑resolution images of the rare interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS after the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) photographed the object during a close pass by Mars in early October 2025. The shots, taken around Oct. 2–3, represent one of the first occasions a spacecraft has directly imaged an object known to have originated beyond our solar system.

Why the delay?

The images remain unpublished because routine data processing, internal review and public briefings were disrupted by the federal government shutdown that began on Oct. 1, which led to furloughs for some NASA staff. Most scientists characterize the delay as an administrative consequence of that shutdown, though online speculation has spawned conspiracy theories alleging the agency is withholding evidence of extraterrestrial activity — assertions mainstream researchers have rejected.

Observations and follow‑ups

Comet 3I/ATLAS was first detected on July 1, 2025, by the Asteroid Terrestrial‑impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). As it approached the Sun it exhibited a small non‑gravitational acceleration, appearing to deviate slightly from a purely gravity‑driven trajectory — a behavior noted in other interstellar visitors and of particular scientific interest.

Ground‑ and space‑based observatories including the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope have tracked the comet. Researchers are especially eager for the higher‑resolution datasets captured by MRO’s HiRISE camera (images taken around Oct. 2–3) and imagery and measurements recorded by the Perseverance rover during a close approach near Mars on Oct. 6.

Political and scientific pressure

“This information is of great importance to advancing our understanding of interstellar visitors and their interaction with our solar system,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R‑Fla.) wrote in a letter to Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy on Oct. 31, urging prompt release of the data.

Luna noted that MRO’s HiRISE camera obtained images with a spatial scale of roughly 19 miles per pixel — about three times finer than the best Hubble images taken on July 21 — and said the brightest pixel could help constrain the comet’s size. She also requested any ancillary Mars mission data that might indicate unusual activity when the comet passed within about 18.6 million miles of Mars, and asked for related records from other missions and meteor databases to improve clarity and transparency.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has also urged NASA to release the images, arguing that open access would enable the broader scientific community to plan follow‑up observations. Loeb has highlighted a number of features he considers anomalous — including a trajectory near the ecliptic plane, a sunward jet, an apparent nickel‑rich and water‑poor composition, and an unusually massive nucleus — though interpretations differ among experts.

Public reaction and context

The story drew attention on social media and in popular culture: celebrity posts and online speculation amplified public interest, while NASA officials stressed there is no evidence of extraterrestrial activity. Acting Administrator Sean Duffy responded on X that “NASA's observations show that this is the third interstellar comet to pass through our solar system. No aliens. No threat to life here on Earth.”

Orbit and safety

Key orbital details: 3I/ATLAS reached perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on Oct. 30 at about 130 million miles, and its nearest approach to Earth is expected on Dec. 19, 2025, at roughly 170 million miles. Scientists emphasize the object poses no impact threat.

Why the images matter

Researchers say the MRO and Perseverance datasets could sharpen size estimates, constrain composition and activity models, and improve our understanding of how interstellar objects behave when they pass through the inner solar system. Until those high‑resolution images and supporting data are released, questions about 3I/ATLAS’s physical properties and the causes of its unusual behavior will remain open to study and debate.

What to watch for: an official NASA release of the MRO and Perseverance data, follow‑up analyses from independent teams, and coordinated observations from ground and space telescopes as the comet continues outbound.