A signal transmitted to Earth from Mars in 2023 has been decoded by a father-daughter team in the United States. The signal, sent by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter probe, was part of an artistic project entitled “A Sign in Space”, led by artist Daniela de Paulis. The project aimed to test techniques that could be useful in decoding signals detected in efforts to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The information is from the website Space.com.
The record was sent in May 2023 and, after more than a year of work, scientists Ken and Keli Chaffin managed to decipher the message. According to a statement from ESA, the pair used intuition and carried out simulations for hours and days to unravel the signal’s content. Before the message could be decoded, it needed to be extracted from the raw data of the radio signal, a process that took just 10 days, thanks to the efforts of around 5,000 “citizen scientists”.
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After decoding, the Chaffins discovered that the signal contained “motion,” suggesting it could be related to cell formation or life. However, deciphering a signal does not necessarily mean that its content can be easily understood. Now “citizen scientists,” including the Chaffins, must interpret what the message really means.
The “A Sign in Space” project seeks to prepare humanity for the possibility of receiving a message from an extraterrestrial civilization. De Paulis stated that “receiving a message from an extraterrestrial civilization would be a profoundly transformative experience for all of humanity.” The project offers an unprecedented opportunity to rehearse and prepare for this scenario, promoting an open search for meaning across cultures and disciplines.
While decoding the signal was a significant step forward, interpreting a message of true alien origin could be much more challenging. Any simulated message, like the one sent by ExoMars, reflects the way humans perceive and communicate their experiences of the universe. The search for extraterrestrial life continues, and projects like “A Sign in Space” are key to preparing the scientific community for what may come next.
