A Science Fiction Short Story: In a universe filled with mysteries, the discovery of an extraterrestrial signal could change everything.
Chapter 1: The Question
Ray Faser leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, staring at the projection of Earth’s nuclear test history—a timeline of detonations stretching from 1945 to 1996. The data pulsed like a slow, irregular heartbeat.
Two thousand nuclear blasts. Each one had sent an electromagnetic scream (EMP) into the void.
On the other side of the screen, Dr. Elias Varen, a senior astrophysicist with the SETI Institute, adjusted his glasses. “You’re suggesting we’ve already announced ourselves.”
“I’m saying we lit a bonfire in the ‘Dark Forest‘. And now we’re whispering ‘Hello?’ like we’re afraid of being rude.”
Varen exhaled. “The difference is intent. A nuclear EMP is noise. A structured message is a handshake.”
Ray leaned forward. “You think an advanced civilization hears a thousand atomic explosions and thinks, ‘Hmm, must be background radiation’? They’ll know what it is. And they’ll know it’s dangerous.”
Chapter 2: The UAP Variable
The Pentagon’s recent disclosures hung between them like an unspoken specter. Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena—craft defying known physics, lingering in Earth’s skies for decades.
Ray tapped the table. “If they’re already here, silence isn’t caution. It’s stupidity. We should be sending ‘We come in peace’ in every frequency we’ve got.”
Varen’s jaw tightened. “Or we’re confirming we’re a threat. Nuclear weapons, uncontrolled emissions—what if they’re waiting to see if we grow up?”
“Or waiting to see if we shoot first,” Ray countered. “The Dark Forest isn’t just a theory. It’s a mirror. We’re the ones who nuked ourselves two thousand times. We’re the predators.”
Chapter 3: The Silence Gambit
A new voice cut in—Dr. Elena Papadakis, a xenopsychologist. “Assume they have detected us. Silence could be read as hostility. A predator hiding.”
Varen shook his head. “Or prudence.”
Ray laughed bitterly. “Prudence? We’re ostriches. Heads in the sand, asses in the air.”
He pulled up the latest UAP footage—a tic-tac object maneuvering at Mach 10. “They aren’t hiding. Why are we?”
Chapter 4: The Decision
The room fell quiet. The screen flickered, overlaying Earth’s radio bubble—expanding at light speed for a century, a glowing sphere of TV broadcasts, radar pings, and nuclear EMPs that might just serve as an unintended extraterrestrial signal.
Elena broke the silence. “If they’re here, they already know who we are. The question isn’t if we signal. It’s what we say.”
Ray leaned back. “How about ‘We’re not all psychopaths’?”
Varen didn’t smile. “Or we prove it.”
Outside, the stars burned cold and distant. Waiting.
Epilogue: The First Message
Three months later, the Arecibo successor array sent a single, repeating sequence toward a UAP hotspot.
Not mathematics. Not science.
Music. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.”
A handshake—or a plea.
The Dark Forest listened.
——————-
Author’s note The character of Ray Faser (and his author) have been waiting for reactivation ever since their first and last appearance in a short science-fiction story in a school newspaper in 1979.
Reference: The history of nuclear testing began early on the morning of 16 July 1945 at a desert test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico when the United States exploded its first atomic bomb. In the five decades between that fateful day in 1945 and the opening for signature of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, over 2,000 nuclear tests were carried out all over the world. https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-nuclear-tests-day/history
In 1971 Dr. Sagan, writing under the pseudonym “Mr. X” described his history of marijuana use.
As the paragon of reasoned, evidence-based science, what could have possibly prompted Carl Sagan to light up a joint? He argued that marijuana can be a powerful tool for facilitating mind expansion. When he was high, he had breakthroughs in knowledge and moments of true insight, according to his experience.
He vigorously defended the validity of these pot-fueled realizations:
“There is a myth about such highs: the user has an illusion of great insight, but it does not survive scrutiny in the morning. I am convinced that this is an error and that the devastating insights achieved when high are real insights; the main problem is putting these insights in a form acceptable to the quite different self that we are when we’re down the next day. Some of the hardest work I’ve ever done has been to put such insights down on tape or in writing. The problem is that ten even more interesting ideas or images have to be lost in the effort of recording one.”
Reference: Psychiatrist Grinspoon Smoked Pot with Sagan—A Lot
Dr. Lester Grinspoon, associate professor emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, recalls exploring the cosmos with a little help from cannabis, and his best friend Carl Sagan.
Eric Habich‑Traut, founder of The Contact Project, blends technology, human potential and cosmic inquiry. His extraordinary journey spans intrauterine memories shared with figures like Bradbury and Dalí; childhood inventions; a 1986 UFO sighting in Ireland; precognitive visions of the Challenger and K‑219 disasters; and quantum‑physics inspiration from Prof. Günter Nimtz. His 2025 research introduces new math on the “Wow!” signal’s speed, theorizes superluminal brain waves behind PSI phenomena, and offers a simplified string‑theory model of quantum entanglement. Space and time remain our next frontier.
At a quarter past ten in the evening on August 15, 1977 a once-in-a-lifetime event took place in Delaware:
A very strong signal arrived at the “Big Ear” radio telescope. It had all the characteristics of having come from an extraterrestrial intelligent source.
The OSU Big Ear radio observatory was aligned in North/South direction. The parabolic reflector is in the South.
No one was at the telescope at the time. The receiver and telescope computer were doing their jobs all by themselves. Therefore, the signal was actually first detected by a machine, a twelve-year-old computer.
BITS OF INFORMATION The IBM 1130 had first been built in 1965. It looked and felt like an old battleship. It had only 1 megabyte of memory. For that reason, the only record of the radio signal is a 6-digit printout on endless paper. There’s no audio recording of the signal. Today we would have a complete audio recording of it, measuring megabytes, if not gigabytes. But in those days, just six characters on paper had to suffice as a record.
After a few days, the stack of computer printouts from the Selectric printer was bundled by Big Ear technician Gene Mikesell and brought to Jerry Ehman’s home.
Press to stop printing. An IBM 1130 printer, this was the type used at the Big Ear radio-telescope in 1977.
THE ANALYSIS Jerry Ehman was a SETI volunteer with Ohio State University. Together with Bob Dixon, he had written the software for the Big Ear computer in FORTRAN and assembler.
Around the 19th of August, Jerry began analyzing the printouts from the radio telescope at his home, looking for unusual radio signatures.
A few pages into the pile of paper, he saw a peculiar sequence of numbers and characters.
He was astonished. After highlighting in red pen the six characters “6EQUJ5,” Jerry wrote the notation “Wow!” in the left margin of the computer printout opposite them.
The Wow! signal printout
The characters and numbers denoted a very strong narrow-band transmission. Apparently it had come from outer space. Narrow-band transmissions usually don’t occur naturally and are a sign of artificial origin.
Conventionally speaking, all artificial things are made by humans. That’s because human language, and the Cambridge Dictionary, defines “artificial” as “made by humans.” That definition may have to be revised.
OPTIMUM CHANNEL The Wow! transmission had all the hallmarks of a radio signal from a non-human extraterrestrial civilization. In the 1959 article “Searching for Interstellar Communications,” Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison explained that using the 21 cm hydrogen frequency was a logical choice for SETI.
And that was precisely the frequency of the Wow! signal. It had come from the direction in the sky where the constellation Sagittarius is found.
The Big Ear radio and computer shack.
If we transfer the number codes from the Wow! printout to plotting paper we can see the waxing and waning strength of the 1420 mHz radio beam that reached the radio telescope. Each of the letters and numbers corresponds to a certain signal intensity, as the next graph illustrates.
The signal may have been transmitting for centuries and was never detected because no one looked for it before. The signal source did not move in the sky. The only thing that moved over for 72 seconds was the Earth, rotating majestically from East to West as the radio receiver moved in and out of the signal beam.
And then the signal vanished. Gone. The signal would have been picked up again by the second horn antenna of Big Ear. But it was no longer there.
The rise and fall of the signal we see in the graph above was due to the antenna pattern, the signal itself remained at constant strength.
The graph below shows a similar signal pattern in “OV-221,” the radio source to the right of the Wow! signal. (OV-221 is also known as MSH 19–203 (Mills Slee Hill Radio Sources)).
In this broadband continuum record the Wow! signal does not show up because it is too narrow-band.
Today I’m waiting to hear if OV-221 corresponds to the center of the Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius A*, but no one seems to know the old radio source designations anymore.
After Jerry Ehman showed the computer printout of the Wow! signal to John Kraus and Bob Dixon, they immediately talked about it, speculating and making hypotheses. Quickly, John and Bob began to investigate the various possibilities.
Dr. John Kraus was a physicist and the designer of the Big Ear radio telescope. He actually invented several types of radio antennas.
Bob Dixon was the director of SETI at Ohio State University radio telescope.
Together they excluded the possibility of the signal having been a plane, planet, asteroid, comet, satellite, spacecraft, ground-based transmitter, or any other known natural source.
Now, since the Wow! signal appeared to be unnatural and no known human cause for it could be found, it was suspected that it could have come from a technological alien civilization.
It was decided to go back to the region in space where the signal had come to see if it could be found again. The scientific method calls for the reproducibility of any experiment or result.
Weeks turned to months, and years into decades as astronomers from all over the world searched the region in space where the Wow! signal had been detected.
The Wow! signal was never found again.
Calculations on the space region of the Wow! signal
Image by The Planetary Society, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
The Wow! signal was observed for 72 seconds. In this time a region of space equivalent to 18 arcminutes was scanned, according to the following calculations:
24h x 60 min = 1440 mins/day = 86400 sec 360° / 86400 = 0.0041° per second 72 seconds = 0.3°
An arcminute (denoted by the symbol ‘), is an angular measurement equal to 1/60 of a degree or 60 arcseconds. To convert a degree measurement to a minute of arc measurement, we multiply the angle by the conversion ratio.
The angle in minutes of arc is equal to the degrees multiplied by 60: 0.3 x 60 = 18 arcminutes.
As seen from the Earth, the Sun and Moon both have angular diameters of about 30 arcminutes. The full moon’s average apparent size is about 31 arcminutes (or 0.52°).
In other words, the Wow! signal spanned an area of about half the size of the Sun or the Moon, as seen from Earth in the sky. That is a rather large area in astronomy.
On the basis of this simple calculation, I cannot readily agree that the Wow! signal came from a pointlike source. That may or may not be a problem. It can be resolved by agreeing that the resolution of the Big Ear radio telescope was not any better!
The frequency and speed of the Wow! signal source
It’s assumed that aliens that use the hydrogen frequency do so in a manner to compensate for the motion of their planet with respect to the motion of Earth. Otherwise, the precise frequency of the hydrogen becomes higher or lower.
That’s why it’s important to look at the precise frequency of the signal.
Jerry Ehman in 1998 gave a value of 1420.4556±0.005 MHz.
This is (50±5 kHz) above the hydrogen line value of 1420.4058 MHz.
Only one of those frequencies could be the correct one. The explanation of the difference between Ehman’s and Kraus’s values was that a new oscillator had been ordered for the frequency of 1450.4056 MHz.
The university’s purchasing department then made a typographical error in the order and wrote 1450.5056 MHz instead of 1450.4056 MHz. The software used in the experiment was then written to adjust for this error. When Ehman computed the frequency of the Wow! signal, he took this error into account.
After all errors are accounted for, the Doppler shift of 1420.4556 MHz indicates that the Wow! signal source moved at a speed of 37,893 km/h towards Earth. The following calculations show how I arrived at that speed:
Calculations on the Doppler shift of the Wow! signal
The Wow! signal was detected at 1420.4556 MHz. First we need to convert the frequency to the wavelength. The wavelength is given by the frequency and the speed of light, how far one wave crest travels in a given time span.
The frequency of the Wow! signal 1420.4556 MHz is equal to a wavelength of (Δλ) 21.105373 cm. That’s the distance between each wave crest.
The presumed origin signal of hydrogen has a precise frequency of 1420405751.768 Hz, equivalent to the wavelength of (λ) 21.106114054160 cm. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_line
Now we subtract 299 781 932.02409 m/sec [Doppler shifted Wow! signal speed from v = (Δλ/λ) * c] -299 792 458 m/sec [ speed of light (c)] ______________________
10 526 m/sec = 37 893 km/h or 10.526 km/sec.
Ref. 1: The source of the Wow! signal approached Earth at a speed of 37 893 km/h or 23 545 mph, if the transmission frequency was from hydrogen.
The average speed of asteroids is 18-20 km/s vs. the 10.52 km/s from the Wow! signal. Comets that impact Earth usually are also faster, at 30 km/s.
The Wow! signal has been the strongest and only serious candidate for ETi radio communication for almost half a century. New calculations support that the Wow! signal may have originated from a moving source heading for Earth, adding to its
Mathematical equations can be considered evidence, but the context in which they are used is crucial. This is particularly evident when we examine events like the Wow! Signal, where data interpretation plays a significant role.
In the case of the Wow! signal, which was a strong narrowband radio signal detected by the Big Ear radio telescope in 1977, considering a mathematical equation as evidence requires careful consideration. It is important to consider the context and underlying assumptions.
Context of the Wow! Signal
Observational Nature: The Wow! signal was a one-time event that has not been observed again since its detection. This raises questions about reproducibility and the reliability of the interpretation of the signal.
Doppler Effect: The Doppler equation suggests blueshift (indicating that the signal source was approaching Earth). This is based on the principles of the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect describes how the frequency of emitted waves changes depending on the relative motion of the source and the observer. If a source is moving toward the observer, the waves are compressed, leading to a higher frequency (blueshift).
Mathematical Equation as Evidence
(Daguerreotype of Christian Andreas Doppler, 1803-1853)
In this instance, the mathematical equations associated with the Doppler effect can serve as supportive evidence.
This is possible if the following conditions are met:
Interpretation of the Signal: The mathematical model using the Doppler effect must be appropriately applied to the observed frequency of the Wow! signal. If the frequency of the signal is higher than what would be expected if the source were stationary, this shift can indeed be calculated. Then, using the Doppler equation, it provides a logical framework supporting the hypothesis that the source is moving towards Earth.
Consistency with Observations: For the equation to be considered evidence, it must be consistent with other data. We need to consider the characteristics of the signal (frequency, duration, etc.) and any additional analysis. For example, the lack of nearby astronomical sources that could explain the signal.
Limitations and Alternatives: While the Doppler equation suggests that the source was approaching, it is crucial to acknowledge the limitations of this interpretation. The single observation leaves room for alternative explanations. For example, it could have been interference or another cosmic phenomenon.
But we need to acknowledge that terrestrial interference or cosmic phenomena have long ago been ruled out by Dick Arnold, Bob Dixon, Jerry Ehman Ed Teiga and John Kraus.
The Wow! Signal equation serves as evidence for a hypothesis, rather than serving as conclusive proof. The scientific method requires ruling out other explanations. Obtaining corroborating evidence through multiple observations or analyses is necessary before drawing definitive conclusions.
“There is no evidence that can’t be contradicted either by fact or lies.”
Erich Habich-Traut
In human discourse, where perception and persuasion play roles, that statement reflects a pragmatic reality: evidence is often subject to challenge, whether valid or not.
What type of evidence is logically or empirically unassailable?
Call for Action
Okay, we are looking for corroborating evidence for the hypothesis that Earth is being visited by extraterrestrial spacecraft, and has been for some time. We are looking for multiple observations as corroborating evidence. Does anyone have “corroborating evidence”?
(There are literally hundreds of thousands of reported unexplained sightings. Here is just a small number, two of which are mine. This explains my interest in this subject.)
Exhibit A: the Calvine UFO
What really happened in Calvine? The mystery behind the best UFO picture ever seen
In August 1990, two hikers sent photos of a strange diamond-shaped aircraft to the press – but the story never appeared. Was it a prank, a hoax, an optical illusion or something else entirely?
Exhibit B: the Puerto Rico UFO
50-Year-Old “Best Photograph Of A UFO Ever Taken” Goes Viral
The photo was taken by Sergio Loaiza in September, 1971, as he flew over Costa Rica on a mission to survey land for the construction of a hydroelectric project.
Exhibit C: the Salthill Sighting, my own sighting, 1986, Mufon #11680
THE SALTHILL UFO
THE SALTHILL UFO SIGHTING, GALWAY, 22nd February – 1st of March 1986
Exhibit D: the M6 sighting, my own sighting, 1995, Mufon #82139
My “lost” UFO sighting
Why I’m coming forward now During April 2020 I had a lot of time on my hands. It was the first Corona lockdown in Germany. I decided to sort through old 35 mm negatives in an old drawer in our basement. The drawer serves as a storage box. As I was pulling the film strips … Continue reading “My “lost” UFO sighting”
The Pentagon has officially released three short videos showing “unidentified aerial phenomena” that had previously been released by a private company.
I have been contemplating the implications of the blue shift observed in the Wow! signal equations, as well as the nature of its source.
Background: this article explains the Wow! signal equations:
The Wow! Signal: A Cosmic Riddle Solved by Mathematics?
Learn about the Wow! Signal, its unique characteristics, and how the Doppler effect plays a role in interpreting this event.
So, why would the Wow! signal have been blue-shifted?
Hydrogen-Fusion Drive
1: The signal source is the emission of a hydrogen fusion drive for object deceleration. Hydrogen fusion drives currently exceed human technology. The signal source “object” had a speed similar to that of Apollo capsules during their entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
I am not categorically suggesting that this “object” entered the atmosphere; rather, I am stating that the speed of the signal source was comparable to that of the Apollo capsules. However, it cannot be excluded that the Wow! signal source (the object the hypothetical fusion drive was attached to) entered the Earth’s atmosphere and landed.
An artist’s rendering of the Apollo command module’s re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Image by NASA
Hydrogen Maser
2: The signal source was a hydrogen maser that was approaching the Earth and emitted a signal. The reason for this is unknown. Was extraterrestrial intelligence attempting to attract attention? If so, then why was the signal not repeated?
Image: Space hydrogen maser, ESA
Related Sightings?
3: As a consequence, were there unusual UFO sightings on or after August 18, 1977? Or did other extraordinary events occur after 18. August 1977?
A. Two days later, on August 20, 1977, NASA successfully launched the first Voyager spacecraft. It carried a golden record with sounds and images of Earth, intended as a message to any intelligent life form that might encounter it.
Voyager Golden Record
B. On October 6, 1977, the United Nations Assembly debated the existence of UFOs. The researchers presented a proposal to investigate the phenomenon.
U.N. Hears Call to Debate U.F.O.’s
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., Oct. 7 Grenada’s Prime Minister picked a drowsy Friday afternoon to share a personal revelation with fellow diplomats.
C. On November 26, 1977, a strange transmission interrupted a news program on ITN, a British television channel. A distorted voice claiming to be Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, replaced the sound.
Southern Television broadcast interruption – Wikipedia
The Southern Television broadcast interruption was a broadcast signal intrusion that occurred on 26 November 1977 in parts of southern England in the United Kingdom. The audio of a Southern Television broadcast was replaced by a voice claiming to represent the “Ashtar Galactic Command”, delivering a message instructing humanity to abandon its weapons so it could participate in a “future awakening” and “achieve a higher state of evolution”. After six minutes, the broadcast returned to its scheduled programme.
A, B and C are just some examples that immediately come to mind, when thinking about 1977—they are not inclusive.
The Wow! signal, a mysterious radio transmission detected in 1977, continues to provoke debate within the astronomical community. Some claim that the signal has been debunked, primarily by a new generation of undergraduate radio astronomers working within the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). These aspiring scientists often seek to make a name for themselves by challenging existing theories and offering alternative explanations for promising SETI candidate signals.
Recent Attempts to Debunk the Wow! Signal
The latest attempt to debunk the Wow! signal stems from undergraduates involved in the Laser SETI project. They recently published a thesis arguing that the Wow! signal was a byproduct of a strong natural radio emission from a nearby star, which purportedly excited a nearby hydrogen cloud. However, this theory is fraught with problems. To elaborate, not only has this behavior never been observed in nature, but calculations also indicate that no star could emit sufficient radiation to adequately excite a hydrogen cloud to produce such a signal—this discrepancy is by an order of several magnitudes.
Celebration and Media Reaction
In response to their findings, the students involved in Laser SETI celebrated their work with accolades and disseminated their conclusions through social media platforms, claiming to have “solved” the mystery of the Wow! signal. As is often the case, the media quickly picked up this narrative, declaring the Wow! signal debunked. Millions of readers absorbed this information without questioning its validity.
Contradictions in the Hydrogen Cloud Theory
Furthermore, it is important to note that the characteristics of the Wow! signal, as it was actually detected, strongly contradict the hydrogen cloud theory. Specifically, the signal exhibited a blue shift, indicating that it was approaching Earth, a behavior that is inconsistent with the expected properties of hydrogen clouds.
The Importance of Critical Examination
In conclusion, while the search for answers continues, it is crucial to approach claims of debunking with a critical eye. The Wow! signal remains one of the most intriguing phenomena in the field of radio astronomy, prompting continued investigation and discussion. Rather than hastily dismissing it, scientists and enthusiasts alike should remain open to the numerous possibilities the Wow! signal presents, as we persist in our quest to understand the cosmos.
Questioning the Intentions of SETI Researchers
The image below is from the presentation of Laser SETI regarding the Wow! signal. Is SETI supposed to find extraterrestrial intelligence, or is it employed to obfuscate and deny every credible claim?
Laser SETI astronomers Dr. Lauren Sgro and Dr. Franck Marchis, via YouTube
Look at the guys from Laser SETI grinning and giving the thumbs up sign. Whose side are they on? Do they believe that SETI serves as a lucrative venture, allowing them to conduct insignificant studies that yield no results, only to receive taxpayer funds into their bank accounts, all while feigning a diligent pursuit of truth and the advancement of humanity?
I have doubts.
Why did not ONE radio astronomer publish the Doppler calculations of the Wow! signal? Did they not even think of doing it?
Here are the equations, after 48 years: PDF: Doppler Blueshift Calculations for WOW! signal (1977): [download here]
In quantum mechanics, particles don’t have definite positions or velocities until they are measured. Instead, they are described by a wave function that provides a probability distribution for where a particle might be found. This wave function is often determined using the Schrödinger equation.
Image: “Real life pipe”, inspired by surrealist René Magritte’s “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”
The idea that particles pop in and out of existence in random places based on probability calculations is not science; it’s ignorance. It serves as a mathematical crutch because we don’t know the mechanism that explains the behavior of quantum particles. The Schrödinger equation helps in these probability calculations.
To argue that probability calculations are the mechanism for this behavior is like claiming that the sun rises every day because there’s a 99.9999% probability that it rises every day. This sunrise probability is empirically proven. It may have been invoked to explain sunrises in the Middle Ages, because we didn’t know of any other good reason. But we know since Copernicus that the real reason for the sunrise is Earth’s rotation (around the sun).
We can theoretically describe any system using quantum mechanics, including Earth’s orbit, as a wave function (click here for an example). But that doesn’t add value or clarity to our understanding of how the sun rises and sets. Nor does it add value or clarity to our understanding of quantum mechanics, even through the Schrödinger equation.
Equation for Earth’s orbit as a wave function; the wave function Ψ(t) is not probabilistic in this case but geometrically encodes Earth’s orbital path.Earth’s orbit as a complex wave function
Science progresses by constructing models that predict observations, even when mechanisms are unclear. The Schrödinger equation and its probabilities are “tools” validated by experiment. They are NOT models or metaphors.
The search for quantum mechanisms continues.
How phenomena are modeled (epistemology) and what the phenomena fundamentally are (ontology) are two different things. The goal of science is to describe phenomena and to make predictions based on the description.
The goal of science is to describe phenomena and to make predictions based on the description. For this reason, I will continue to describe quantum tunneling (and even entanglement) as a property of 0/1D space.”
Erich Habich-Traut
For this reason, I will continue to describe quantum tunneling (and even entanglement) as a property of 0/1D space (zero-dimensional and one-dimensional space). My metaphor can explain a lot of Psi phenomena (telepathy, remote viewing, clairvoyance, superluminality, teleportation, spooky-action-at-a-distance). Surely, these can also be explained in terms of probabilities. However, I have a model, a working metaphor.
Image: This is not an atom (Atomium, Brussels)
Such likeness allows me to say complex things in a fairly simple manner.
The Schrödinger equation could also lead to new perspectives, perhaps we are looking for a new Copernicus.
Don’t panic: Statement of the ET Contact Project regarding METI
Text revised and updated: 29 March 2025. METI = Messaging ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence.
Don’t Be Afraid of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence | Douglas Vakoch
Dr. Vakoch is President of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI).
“As astronomers launch ambitious projects for Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, alarmists worry that transmitting intentional radio and laser signals into space may provoke an alien invasion. These critics overlook one fundamental fact: it’s too late to hide.”
Dr. Vakoch, Feb 3, 2020
Dr. Vakoch is currently not associated with the ‘Contact Project.’ His statement was directed at the fact that humanity has been announcing its presence via radio signals to our cosmic neighborhood for the last 100 years. He did not mean to imply that alien presences are already here.
The Contact Project would like to draw attention to these calculations:
1962: Nuclear Radio Blast from Earth to the Stars: 10 billion times more powerful than the message from Arecibo for ET!
Did anyone hear us? In 1974, the strongest intentional radio signal ever was sent into space by humans. Its strength was an impressive 20 trillion watts, enough electricity to power 1.4 million homes for a year. 12 years earlier, a considerably stronger radio signal was sent from Earth.
The mission of ‘The Contact Project’ is to investigate UAPs/UFOs on every conceivable frequency, using real-time tracking, radio receivers and transmitters, HD video, HD images, optical and radio telescopes, and passive & active radar so that the question of the nature and origin of UAPs can be answered without doubts.
What does the Contact Project want to do?
We want to do METI (messaging ETi) with a target that’s already here, UAPs. We don’t have to worry about attracting the attention of “hostile” aliens by messaging them, as they already know of us, if that’s what UAPs/UFOs are.
As things go, this possibility wasn’t seriously considered by the METI organization in 2015, because the subject of UAPs was still considered too crackpot then.
So, the statement issued by the METI organization regarding messaging extraterrestrial intelligence only covers targets outside of Earth’s atmosphere (statement here).
Since then, this outlook has changed somewhat with the release of a preliminary assessment of the American Director of National Intelligence on UAPs (assessment here).
The METI statement called for a worldwide scientific, political, and humanitarian discussion about the implications of messaging ET before anything should be initiated. Arguably, since UAPs first made headlines in 1947, there’s been a worldwide discussion about “them” for over 75 years.
A lot of that time, much of humanity reacted like an ostrich, sticking its head in the sand when hearing UFO reports. Or like three monkeys. Which comparison do we prefer?
Three Wisdom Monkeys in Space
Did it never occur to anyone that these phenomena may be more than swamp gas or the result of delusions? Sadly, as a result of the swamp gas hypothesis, the METI statement covers only METI targets outside of Earth.
METI might wish to reconsider their statement. Because currently there seems to be no position on contacting UAPs, to the best of my knowledge.
METI says: ETI’s reaction to a message from Earth cannot presently be known.
If extraterrestrial civilizations have a presence on Earth in the form of UAPs/UFOs or drone-like von Neumann probes, they will certainly be able to monitor our news and events. There was no obvious reaction from UAPs/UFOs to the Voyager space probes or the Golden Records on them. And there was no obvious reaction to the Arecibo message.
Crop formations, who makes these?
METI says: We know nothing of ETI’s intentions and capabilities, and it is impossible to predict whether ETI will be benign or hostile.
Experience shows that when UAPs are pursued by military jet fighters, they don’t react hostile. Civilian planes are not attacked either. It’s reasonable to assume that the intelligence behind UAPs is mostly benign.
“The threat to humanity from each other is magnitudes greater than from ETi. That hasn’t and shouldn’t stop us from talking to each other, and that includes ETi.”
The Contact Project
GALACTIC FEDERATION?
All sorts of explanations about UFOs and their prospective occupants have been given, from the no-contact rule of a Galactic Federation to higher dimensional frequencies that mortals can join only after exhaustive preparation.
Former Israeli space security chief says aliens exist, humanity not ready
This “Galactic Federation” has supposedly been in contact with Israel and the US for years, but are keeping themselves a secret to prevent hysteria until humanity is ready.
Healthy skepticism is, of course, in order, as most sightings have a prosaic explanation, ranging from misidentifications to pranks and hoaxes. But they don’t account for every sighting.
To admit in 2021 that some UAP cannot be explained was a major step forward by the US government.
The Contact Project wants to find out if there is just one UAP that will respond to radio or other contacting efforts. And that is easy.
And to prepare for the possibility of a positive response from an UAP? Not so easy.
Artwork inspired by Linda Salzman Sagan’s design for the Pioneer plaque, which aimed to communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence, commissioned by NASA: click here to view the original design
The Ocean of Time
Consider this: The cosmos is an ocean of time, vast and unfathomable. The future and the past may not be fixed shores but fluid horizons, ever-shifting. If time is a river, might there be civilizations advanced enough to navigate its currents? They could potentially voyage upstream against the flow and visit epochs long gone. Suppose such beings exist, they might step into our present, or even our yesterday, with technology that bends the fabric of spacetime itself. We can only speculate if extraterrestrial intelligence might be capable of such feats.
Messengers of Earth
Think of the Voyager probes, those celestial arks launched in 1977. They carry golden records engineered to last 5 billion years, etched with the sounds and stories of Earth. Drifting through the interstellar dark, they are destined to wander for millennia before brushing the icy fringes of the Oort Cloud, possibly to be found by extraterrestrial intelligences in the future.
Pioneers of the Unknown
And what of Pioneer 10 and 11, their plaques engraved with symbols and figures—a map to our tiny blue world? These messengers preceded Voyager by four years. They were charting a path through the unknown, potentially reaching minds skilled in decoding messages intended for extraterrestrial intelligences.
The Cosmic Recursion
Here we drift into a cosmic recursion—a loop of cause and consequence as enigmatic as time itself. Suppose it is not the distant future that answers our call, but the act of calling that creates the future. Could our probes, these fragile artifacts of hope, be both message and catalyst? A whisper that echoes backward through the aeons, compelling beings of tomorrow to seek the source of their own curiosity.
The Search for Answers
If a civilization unbound by time found Voyager or Pioneer adrift in the interstellar void, would they not use the pulsar map to trace its origin back? They could return to the blue-green world that cast it forth. And in doing so, might they not feel compelled to visit the time when it was launched? They might be drawn by the poetry of a planet daring to announce, “Here, we exist,” a statement echoing the hope of encountering extraterrestrial intelligences.
Unearthing Secrets
Imagine this: A civilization, millennia hence, unearths Voyager in the icy depths of the Oort Cloud. They decode its songs and its images of Earth’s shimmering biosphere, and wonder: Who were these beings? Did they survive their adolescence? Such reflections might prompt interaction.
Invitations to Explore
The probes, then, become not just messages but invitations. A handprint on the cave wall of spacetime, saying, “We are here. Come find us.” They serve as signals beckoning extraterrestrial intelligence to respond.
The Gift of Causality
By having declared our presence to the universe, we planted a seed in the garden of causality. Maybe a future civilization, emerging from the same evolutionary currents that shaped us, might trace their own lineage back to this moment. It was a moment when a fledgling species, trembling on the edge of self-destruction, chose instead to reach outward.
Sacred Relics?
To them, the Pioneers and Voyagers might be sacred relics, the genesis of their own yearning to explore. And so they return, pilgrims to their cradle, to ensure the message endures.
The Question of Solitude
And so we are left to wonder: Are we alone, or are we unknowingly surrounded by emissaries from tomorrow? In sending our songs and salutations into the dark, we cast a line not just across space, but through the infinite corridors of time. Who, or when, might one day tug the other end and reveal the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence?
A Silent Witness
Perhaps, even now, the answer is quietly orbiting the Sun or our planet—a silent witness to the audacity of a species. We dared to reach beyond our epoch and into the unknown.
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