Abstract
In their classic 1965 treatment of extraterrestrial intelligence, I. S. Shlovskii and Carl Sagan postulate that an advanced galactic civilization would use relativistic inhabited spacecraft to explore the galaxy. Because such craft might forever be technologically or sociologically infeasible, an alternative approach is suggested. Artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and other technologies might be employed to develop autonomous, solar-photon-sail propelled probes that might cruise the galaxy and unfold their photon-sail “wings” during close stellar flybys while studying the destination planetary system. The sail could be used for acceleration, deceleration or to direct the probe to further destinations. The similarity between ‘Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system and the proposed “Space Butterfly” is noted. It is unfortunate that this object is moving so fast and is so distant that a robotic Earth-launched probe to it is unlikely. Keywords: SETI, Technosignatures, interstellar Probes
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