An ET signal that was transmitted from a Mars orbiter at 3 pm ET was simulated by the SETI Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to learning about life in space.
Three enormous telescopes were able to catch the radio waves in 16 minutes as they raced through space at the speed of light.
ET Signal from Mars
The groundbreaking experiment was created to get scientists ready for the profoundly transformative experience for all humankind that will occur when extraterrestrial visitors make contact with our planet.
Experts in the US and Italy were ecstatic to see the message when it showed on computer displays after the radio waves were retrieved in segments.
It was also picked up at 8.4 gigahertz by ham radio users on Earth, though not the complete broadcast.
The crew is keeping certain important aspects of the stunt under wraps, including the kind of signal used and what it contains.
The tight lid is necessary since the public will have access to the encoded transmission and can assist in its decryption.
Now that the signal has been processed, scientists at each of those institutions will make it available to their peers globally and to the general public.
The project team invites participants from various backgrounds to examine the signal and attempt to decode it.
It was really real, remarked Daniela dePaulis, the inspirational artist behind the A Sign in Space project, during the live-streamed event.
Although this is not TGO’s (ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter) first transmission, it is a true message.
The European Space Agency’s TGO, which orbits Mars and is used to research its atmosphere, will send the signal.
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The Three Telescope Around The Globe
The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) in California, Robert C. Byrd at the Green Bank Observatory (GBO) in West Virginia, and the Medicina Radio Astronomical Station in northern Italy all captured the signal.
Both on Earth and at the telescope locations, the signal is undetectable.
The message will be uploaded sometime on Wednesday night, according to researchers, and when it is finished, two links will be shared on SETI’s social media sites.
The extracted and uploaded bandwidth will not exceed one megahertz. Each telescope’s recording is around five gigabits in size. Four files will be accessible.
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