As a world, we are all fascinated with the possibility of life on other planets. Are there extra-terrestrial beings that live on far away planets? Numerous studies have been done, but still we all wish and hope for more. NASA’s newest efforts to locate other life forms are about to take it one step further. The goal, to send a crowdsourced message on a flyby of Pluto.
Our Attempts at Communications
There have been a few different communications from Earth to places beyond, in the hopes of one day having our messages sent to different areas. These messages were sent by NASA and coded through several languages. The messages included things such as photos and various sound videos of thunderstorms and other stuff.
The newest attempt is potentially going to travel on the New Horizons spacecraft. It will pass near Pluto on the outermost region of our solar system. When it is at its closest to Pluto, which is expected to happen on July 14, 2015, the One Earth message will be sent out to Pluto. Then the New Horizons spacecraft will continue on its voyage and travel further into areas that are outside our solar system.
Why This Mission Is Different
In the past, all effort was put forth by NASA and Jon Lomberg, the chief artist for the original “Cosmos” television series. Lomberg will still be an active member of this newest project, but we are taking it one step further.
In this newest profile of Earth and the things that we have here, our life here, and the animals that we have on our planet, NASA is also asking regular people to contribute to the message. They want everyday people to send images in for consideration. Then others will pick and choose what images will actually become a part of the image.
The message will be sent digitally through our solar system and to the spacecraft. Total, there will be approximately 100 photos and an hour of audio, which also frees up people to send their voices into the world beyond ours.
Are You Ready to Make History?
This message is not going to come cheap. There is going to be a fundraising campaign to help raise the $500,000 necessary to build a crowdsourcing website. This money will also be used to create new techniques that will be recognizable and hopefully understood by other beings.
As of yet, NASA has not officially said they want this to happen, but it is quite apparent that many people want to see it become a reality due to the petition that is already gaining signatures. It has over 10,000 signatures and more are being added.
Do not worry, you can add your own photos for free, up to a certain amount of them. Does this sound like something you would want to be a part of? Would you like to have the opportunity to show potential life on other planets what is so great about our planet Earth? It is an idea that intrigues many people and it is well within your reach.