Does NASA have a published, non-secret contingency plan for what would happen if life is found on Mars?

No matter how hard I try, I can't think of any reason why any government would want to keep that kind of discovery a secret. Can you?

Now if they received an intelligent signal from deep space, they could be somewhat justifiably be concerned about what its content might reveal. I am mildly curious as to whether SETI programs are under any kind of contract to wait for government approval before going public, pending the evaluation of the content.

I suppose if you're one of those conspiracy-theory nuts, (or X-Files junkies), then anything is possible.

We live in a free country, and, no, there is no such contingency plan, if, for instance, some seashell, a trilobite, or an imprint of a leaf is found in the Martian rocks (or soil)!

It would be one of the most awesome discoveries in the history of mankind, if not THE most!

Brant, I can think of one reason - and so has NASA...

NASA is currently collecting for a contingency fund for the fines that we will face from intelligent martian life if we were to find it.

Unauthorized operation of a motor vehicle.

Unauthorized landing of said motor vehicle.

Tresspassing.

...and most troubling...

Littering! :)

If there is no life on mars, then we are going to use the money to bride the Anunaki and tell them to divert Nibiru away from the earth and the rest of our solar system. Schedule decision day is 12/20/2012. We are giving ourselves 24 hours because of the light transfer time involved in electronically transmitting the money to the Anunaki!