In a collaboration aimed at preserving simulated alien communications, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) has teamed up with Filecoin, a decentralized data storage marketplace, to store simulated alien messages transmitted from Mars.
The project, called Signs in Space, involves encoding and transmitting extraterrestrial messages to Earth, simulated using the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which is currently in orbit around Mars.
The blockchain project aims to engage communities interested in deciphering and understanding information, fostering collaboration between different cultures and fields of expertise.
In a live broadcast from the SETI Institute, Daniela de Paulis, the visionary behind A Sign in Space, emphasized that the coded message was intentionally left open to interpretation, inviting individuals to offer their own perspectives and insights.
"Think about abstract art, where as an artist you create a painting and then you attribute meaning to that painting, and often it's not even a fixed meaning...If other people start interpreting something abstract, it might be more diverse and we might get different types of interpretations as a result."
Daniela de Paulis, creator of the space logo.
The signal was transmitted by the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), currently in orbit around Mars, and was successfully detected by three radio astronomy observatories stationed around the world.
These observatories include the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array (ATA), the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) at Green Bank Observatory (GBO), and the Medisina Radio Astronomy Station, which is managed by Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF).
To ensure the preservation and accessibility of processed messages, Filecoin is used for secure storage, ensuring that the valuable information contained in the messages remains intact and easy to analyze and interpret.
People now have the opportunity to interpret this information for themselves.
One giant leap for mankind
This isn’t the first time the Filecoin Foundation has explored the usefulness of blockchain in space. In a statement released on January 17, 2023, the Filecoin Foundation and Lockheed Martin announced that they will collaborate to deploy the Interstellar File System in space later this year.
Marta Belcher stressed in the announcement that data no longer needs to be constantly shuttled between Earth and space, thus simplifying and speeding up the data retrieval process.
While many use cases are currently being explored, from international payments to supply chain management and regulatory compliance, storing simulated alien messages from Mars is rarely mentioned, despite showing the broad capabilities of the underlying blockchain technology.
