E-Paper
‘Alien’ mock signal sent to Earth from Mars for the 1st time: Report
Amid the search for another life beyond Earth, an alien signal was beamed to the planet from Mars for the first time.
Amid the search for another life beyond Earth, an alien ‘mock’ signal was beamed to the planet from Mars for the first time to stimulate a scenario when extraterrestrial life would send a message. On May 24, the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) reportedly flashed an encoded message from its orbit around Mars to Earth. The signal was sent at 9 pm and was received by Earth 16 minutes later, said reports.
Also read: A year on Red Planet: Meet the scientist set to step into Martian habitat
This experiment was led by artist Daniela de Paulis who brought together a team of several international experts including scientists and artists to create the project ‘A Sign in Space’.
Reportedly, the signal was received by four stations - Green Bank Telescope (West Virginia), the Medicina Radio Astronomical Station (Italy), the Allen Telescope Array (California), and the Very Large Array (New Mexico).
Paulis in a press statement said, “Throughout history, humanity has searched for meaning in powerful and transformative phenomena. Receiving a message from an extraterrestrial civilization would be a profoundly transformational experience for all humankind,” reported Indian Express.
She added, “A Sign in Space offers the unprecedented opportunity to tangibly rehearse and prepare for this scenario through global collaboration, fostering an open-ended search for meaning across all cultures and disciplines.”
