[steve86]

My question is - even if aliens could manage the super speeds (and G-forces) of these objects that just “zip - disappear”, how can they get around the Earth's natural physics such as friction and sonic booms. Something that “zips” through our atmosphere would get super-heated and it would get red (white?) hot as it “zipped” away but we never hear about that.

The friction part is relatively easy -- start out by utilizing the same principle as supercavitating torpedoes, such as the VA-111 Shkval. These achieve 350-300 knots underwater. Atmosphere is a piece of cake compared to water. Perhaps ions would take the place of the gas bubble stream around the torpedo?

Sonic booms are caused when pressure waves combine to form shock waves that travel forward, creating the noise. We could substantially reduce or eliminate them now, but priorities lies elsewhere and modification to the aircraft shape would results in costs elsewhere. The aircraft shape would have to be really long with something akin to noise-cancelling technology at the nose.

Of course, these are human-2009 type engineering ideas, probably laughable in advanced alien terms (I'm neutral on the issue myself).

[21twelve]

“Of course, these are human-2009 type engineering ideas, probably laughable in advanced alien terms.”

But they may be part of the answer to my question of “but how do you defeat basic principles of physics?”. Thanks!