Jun 7


To Serve Man?

by Terry 07 June 2009


As radio telescopes scan the farthest reaches of the galaxy looking for any sign of intelligence, there is debate about what message, if any, we should return, should the search turn up positive results.

[T]he folks at SETI have set up a website to gather opinions on what the best questions and statements are.   So far, the messages break down into a few distinct categories. Some people want to throw a block party to welcome the aliens to the neighborhood.  Others, less trusting, would warn the aliens that we’ve got guns and know how to use them.  Another group, possibly influenced by having seen too many movies, would have us hide under the bed until they go away.  “If we discover intelligent life beyond Earth, we should not reply — we should freeze and play dead,’ wrote one contributor.”

My answer?  First inquire if they’re selling Space Cadet cookies, then check to make sure they aren’t carrying a cookbook.

What would you say first to an alien?

Via Slashdot

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5 Comments

5 Responses to “To Serve Man?”

  1. Ahistoricality on June 7th, 2009 2:35 pm

    “Come here often?”  (Quote)

  2. george.w on June 10th, 2009 8:49 am

    If we got to exchanging signals with an alien species, there would be no ‘first thing’ to say. It would take so long to develop a common vocabulary and syntax that actual exchange of ideas would only come later.

    If we had enough bandwidth we’d start with pictures: of stars and planets, of common elements, and so forth. Any competent scientist would be able to figure out image rasters.  (Quote)

  3. Terry on June 10th, 2009 2:22 pm

    Hi, George! I’m so glad to see you’re feeling better!

    You’re right, of course. It reminds me of the debate over what should be included in the capsule of the first satellite out of the solar system. Back in 1972 a plaque was attached to Pioneer 10 and 11 with a pictorial message, and in 1977 a Golden Record with a more detailed message was attached to Voyager 1.

    I’m curious – I need to find out what is in the message SETI broadcasts.  (Quote)

  4. Ahistoricality on June 10th, 2009 8:12 pm

    Last time I checked, there weren’t any “SETI broadcasts” yet because they hadn’t identified any likely targets. The SETI project — which ran on our computers for a few years — involves studying the radio signals recieved by our largest and most sensitive radio telescopes for signs of intelligent life. If they’d found some, it would be pretty big news. Until they do, there’s almost no point in trying to broadcast a signal because it would attenuate to almost nothing very quickly. Once they identify a possible intelligent source, we’re going to have to use very focused transmission technology, possibly lasers, if we’re going to actually communicate over light-year distances.  (Quote)

  5. Terry on June 11th, 2009 12:32 pm

    Thanks for the correction, A. I just assumed because we were listening we were also sending. I would imagine that given the light years involved, any civilization we contacted in this way could well be extinct before we were able to get a message back to them.  (Quote)

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