But why? Have they found life out there that's requesting Beatles classics? Hardly. This marks the first time the U.S. space agency has sent a song through space, but its strictly for nostalgic reasons. So, you can put your ray guns down.
photo via Product-Reviews
Not only is it the 40th anniversary of the song, but also the 45th anniversary of NASA's Deep Space Network, an international network of communication facilities that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions, and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe which communicates with its distant probes. It's also the 50th anniversary of NASA. Not to mention the fact that the DVD of the Julie Taymor movie named after the Beatles song hits shelves tomorrow, a day after the transmission.
What did McCartney have to say about it all? "Send my love to the aliens." Nanu-nanu.
My Trusted MOGs
sweet
My Trusted MOGs
Um, I hate to bring this up, but on The History Channel's "Life After People," SETI researchers found that terrestrial radio and TV signals weaken rapidly as they travel in space. The farthest such signals travel is 2-3 light years, which is far short of the edge of our milky way galaxy. Mars may attack, but the Vulcans haven't heard "Oobie Doobie."
My Trusted MOGs
i'm not 100% sure but i think TV and radio signals they're talking about are different. If they wanted to beam an mp3 to a distant planet like that, they would use a very powerful transmitter antenna which would transmit at very high frequencies like microwaves and focused in a directional beam.. as opposed to an omnidirectional tv or radio antenna which radiates in all directions.
cool idea transmitting a song like that. but 431 light years? i'm sure there's closer systems
My Trusted MOGs
"This marks the first time the U.S. space agency has sent a song through space..."
By radio, that is. But go back 30 years and you'll find the actual first US Space Agency attempt to rock out aliens: The Voyager Golden Record, with 31 tracks of music for whatever DJ aliens find it first. Cartridge and needle included.
(cue Falco) "Ooh! Rock Me Carl Sagan!"
Highly recommended companion reading: Murmurs of Earth
My Trusted MOGs
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't space a vacuum, lacking a medium for the waves to travel upon? I'm pretty sure soundwaves are mechanical.