 PLOT: It is clear from events depicted in the film that in order to  build the Machine and the travel pod, several new breakthroughs in  technology and metallurgy were needed, beyond any current scientific  knowledge; for instance, the way the travel pod door literally  merges with the pod when sealed. This alone would be a strong  indicator that the information from the signal was truly of  extraterrestrial origin, so why does the Committee not (seemingly)  take that into account when reviewing Dr. Arroways testimony?