The binary file that corresponds to the simulated alien message sent from Mars to Earth has now been identified a week later. The “A Sign in Space” project, designed by Daniela de Paulis to get the public excited about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, received confirmation that the message was identified in the received data on Discord. Mathematician Daniel Estévez represented the artist and explained that the 8212-byte binary file could now be decrypted and interpreted, with anyone able to participate in the analysis via Github.
The project involved the European Mars probe TGO sending a simulated signal to Earth to simulate extraterrestrial contact. After being received by radio telescopes, the data was put online and several interested people identified interesting parts on Discord. The organizers were asked to confirm if they were correct and on Thursday, they confirmed the message was correct. Interested individuals can now interpret the signals via the project’s Discord channel.
The “A Sign in Space” project was designed to evoke thoughts of messages already sent to space and to prepare for a global cooperation scenario in the event of receiving a message from an extraterrestrial civilization. According to de Paulis, receiving such a message “would be a deeply transformative experience for all of humanity,” and the project is an open-ended search for meaning across all cultures and disciplines. The project serves as a practice run for an earth-shattering event, though it is uncertain whether it will ever happen.
