I read that some guys are setting up a project designed to send a message to ET's (project "Extracom"). There are international conventions and agreements which forbid sending messages to outer space.

Should them be allowed to go on? Is it dangerous?
Should governments worry about? To forbid the initiative is to hinder free speech?

My opinion: I wish them luck.

What do you think?

<a name="20020613.4:3"> page 20020613.4:3 aka S2u
On 2002-06-13 08:20, Argos wrote: To: 4:38 A.M. PST 8 CIB 10 ZOTZ
I read that some guys are setting up a project designed to send a message to ET's (project "Extracom"). There are international conventions and agreements which forbid sending messages to outer space.

Should them {HUb'$} be allowed to go on? Is it dangerous?
Should governments worry about? To forbid the initiative is to hinder free speech?

My opinion: I wish them luck.

What do you think?
of Cour$e cureent Go_Mints should oppose THEM THEN
self preSERVations and besides sometime I spin electrons faster than light speed

Too late!
We've already transmitted "Benny Hill", "Big Brother" and "Terry and June".
Any ET's with taste will be on their way to wipe us out right now.

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Garlic Bread?!?!

Whilst we have been sending Benny Hill and frends into space for years (so to speak), the broadcssts were never targeted in a direction believed to be occupied by alien beings.

Should we receive transmissions from ET I would consider it very important not to reply untill at the very least we have made an effort to decode the received message.

Phobos

Arecibo directed a message at a globular cluster a number of years ago. The details, including the message contents, were given in Cosmos which I don't have handy right now. TV broadcasts from earth have been going in nearly all directions for decades so no matter what area of the sky we think aliens might be located in (how would we determine what a likely direction is, anyways?) chances are there's a reality-based TV show heading their way as we speak.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: pvtpylot on 2002-06-13 14:30 ]</font>

Which will give plenty of fuel to those Alien Fundamentalists who claim that theirs is the only intelligent life in the universe.

The (we are not our own best advertisement) Curtmudgeon

The Arecibo broadcast will not arrive for thousands of years. The unintentional broadcasts were not directed and so would arrive extremely weak. They would be swamped by background noise from the rest of our solar system.

Phobos

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Phobos on 2002-06-13 16:43 ]</font>

Yes, but radio astronomers on nearby planets should be able to pick up the signals without too much difficulty. We could. Also, the Arecibo signal could be intercepted long before it gets to where it's going. Sorry, but I think it's just way too late to be worried about sending signals that others might get ahold of. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: pvtpylot on 2002-06-13 19:31 ]</font>

And which nearby planets would that be?

Well, there've been how many planetary systems identified so far? 80? My point was it's a little late to be worried about not sending signals because if anyone is out there listening I think they can hear us already.
[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

1. How fast do TV and radio signals actually travel through space?

2. How close is the nearest planetary system?

3. How long would it take all those I Love Lucy reruns to get there?

1. As near to the Speed of Light (299,792.458 km/s) as the Interstellar Medium, will Allow.

2. Epsilon Eridani, which is 9,930,000,000,000,000 (9.93E+15) kilometres, away.

3. 10.5 Years, Great, now they're Starting to Watch Seinfeld, "Jerry, Hello!"

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If you Ignore YOUR Rights, they Will go away.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ZaphodBeeblebrox on 2002-06-14 00:31 ]</font>

1. The speed of light since they are a form of light.
2. Unknown, but if planetary systems are as prolific the evidence is showing then it's quite likely that there are many worlds within the 60 or so light years that our earliest TV signals have travelled so far.
3. Well, I Love Lucy aired in the mid to late 50's so the signals would be 50 or so light years distant. Again, probably more than enough distance to have travelled to several planetary systems by now.

I think it's kind of cool to imagine a SETI at Home-like project picking us up on another world.
[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: pvtpylot on 2002-06-14 00:31 ]</font>

Cross-Post Alert!

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Okay, thanks.

So the part in Contact about the aliens receiving Hitler's broadcasts was actually plausible...

Is that the current known closest? They're coming so fast now I can't keep track! [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] It's very likely that record will change soon.

I don't know, we're Among the Closest Stars, even now, but I am, Holding out Hope, for Alpha Cent, (Rigil Kent, to those of you Purists, Down Under) now that, Would be Neat!

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If you Ignore YOUR Rights, they Will go away.

Well, Yes and No.

Yes, because that was, as quite Clearly Stated in the Book, as well as The Movie, The First Signal, that We Sent, that was of Sufficient Power, to be Noticed, Above the Interstellar Background.

No, because we couldn't, at least at the Current Time, Perform a Similar Feat; in fact, a Modern Civilization, could be Orbiting One of the Stars of Alpha Cent, (Rigil Kent) Right Now, and we couldn't know about them, Unless, of course, They Wanted us To!

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If you Ignore YOUR Rights, they Will go away.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ZaphodBeeblebrox on 2002-06-14 01:02 ]</font>

They're not going to contact us. They think our science fiction movies are newscasts and they're afraid of our advanced weaponry.

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Hmmm, out of my league, though I'd like to think we could detect something. BA, if your listening, do you think we could detect a civilization 5-10 light years away emitting the same types of signals that we ourselves are putting out now? Do we not have the technology, or would it just be a case of making a dedicated search?

I know that you're Kidding, but as my Mother likes to say, oh how she likes to say it, "Many a True Word is said, in Jest."

It's Cultural Contamination, that would, probably, Scare them, The Most!

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If you Ignore YOUR Rights, they Will go away.