Humans have continuously sent signals into space for the past 50 years. Recently, a “strange” signal was sent to Earth.
According to National Geographic channel, nearly 50 years ago, on November 16, 1974, humans sent the first signal into space. The signal was transmitted from Puerto Rico on a warm day, and was flying in the sky of the stars. According to calculations, in about 25,000 years, the signal will reach the sky containing 300,000 stars.
Unlike the radio and television signals that humans have accidentally broadcast since the late 1930s, the signal from Puerto Rico is the first encrypted signal directed to extraterrestrial civilizations, containing important information. about the species that created and sent it.
Since then, humans have repeatedly sent signals into space to search for other civilizations and prove that we are not alone in the vast universe.
Illustration of radio waves transmitted to Earth: Sebastian Zentilomo
SIGNAL FROM MARS
Occasionally, researchers report that an electromagnetic signal reaches Earth. But those signals do not seem to come from any civilization, but from the activities of planets in outer space.
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute did a test simulating the transmission of signals from aliens to Earth. This is just a test, to see how people would react if they really received a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization.
Questions that can be raised around this issue include whether countries will join hands to track and store that signal; Will scientists and citizens work together to decode signals; Who will decide to answer that signal…
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft. Photo: ESA
This test is part of the “A Sign in Space” project initiated by Daniela de Paulis, a member of the Institute for the Search of Extraterrestrial Civilizations. She and the scientists encoded a message, connecting with the European Space Agency (ESA) to send this signal to Earth through the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft flying on Earth. orbit of Mars.
Signals from Mars reached Earth on May 24; Up to 3 astronomical observation stations have received that signal, respectively: Allen Telescope Array radio telescope of the Institute for Search of Extraterrestrial Civilizations located in California, USA; Green Bank Observatory is located in West Virginia, USA; and the Medicina Radio Astronomy Observatory in Italy.
The Institute for the Search of Extraterrestrial Civilizations also publicly posted this encrypted signal on the A Sign in Space project website. The project has also set up a discussion area on the Discord platform for people to discuss the information they decode.
However, it is worth mentioning that sending and receiving from space is a controversial issue. Influential people in the space astronomy industry such as scientist Stephan Hawking or CEO of SpaceX – Elon Musk – all share the opinion that this could affect the survival of humanity, regardless of who they are. proactive. proactive.
Physicist Stephen Hawking. Photo: Independent
SENDING A SIGNAL INTO THE UNIVERSE, SCIENTISTS ARE ANGRY
In 1974, astronomers sent a signal into space through the Arecibo radio telescope located in Puerto Rico. Astrophysicist Frank Drake, father of the Drake Equation that predicted the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, created the message with astronomer Carl Sagan.
The message is written in binary code (a message string consisting of only 1s and 0s) in the hope that some extraterrestrial civilization (if there is one, and if received) can decode it. The message contains some basic information about humanity, Earth’s position in the Solar System, population size, human form and DNA code.
After this signal, known as the Arecibo Message, transmitted into space, scientists around the world expressed concern that the signal was sent without consultation and without international consensus. Scientists say that things like this need to get everyone’s opinion. Later, astrophysicist Frank Drake is said to have expressed regret over the message he sent.
Since then, the reaction to the transmission of signals into space has become more intense.
NASA once sent a pure gold disc with information about humans into space. Photo: Space Frontiers/Archive Photos/Getty Images
In 2010, physicist Stephen Hawking made a comment about screaming to the universe that humans exist, which many people agreed with. He said: “If aliens come to us, the result may be like when Columbus arrived in America, which brought a bad end to the native Indians.”
Scientists who share Stephen Hawking’s view say that aliens don’t need to intentionally harm us, they can just see us as, say, ants that they will step on on their way to something. different and don’t care about anything.
On the contrary, scientists who support transmitting signals beyond Earth believe that these thoughts are far-fetched and unnecessary. Astrobiologist Douglas Vakoch, who spent many years at the Institute for the Search of Extraterrestrial Civilizations, has a different approach. In 2015, he left the Institute for the Search of Extraterrestrial Civilizations and founded his own center called Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI, roughly translated: Contact with Extraterrestrial Civilizations). Instead of scanning the stars for extraterrestrial life, METI tries to transmit radio signals through powerful radio telescopes to communicate directly with aliens.
Scientist Douglas Vakoch once spoke at TedEX on the topic “Don’t be afraid to make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations”.
Scientist Douglas Vakoch opined: “From Hawking’s point of view, there is one thing that he overlooked, which is that if any civilization intended to harm us, they would have known about it from the signals. that we unintentionally transmit”. The radio signals humans still use can actually escape from Earth and into space.
However, there is an opposing opinion by Douglas Vakoch, saying that radio signals from TV or radio are weak and do not target anything specific. Strong, purposefully transmitted radio signals from radio astronomy stations are easier to pick up, which can be compared to whispering and screaming.
In 2015, researchers at the Institute for the Search of Extraterrestrial Civilizations, Elon Musk and many other scientists shared the same opinion: “We feel that the decision to transmit a signal or not is based on consensus. world consensus, not from a group of individuals willing with access to powerful equipment.”
