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Farthest Human-Made Object: First Quarter Century
An anonymous reader writes "The NASA Astrobiology Magazine reports today the 25th anniversary of the Voyager I launch, now the farthest human-made object at 93 Sun-Earth distances (93 AU), or 12 light-hours away. Expected battery life to 2020. The fascinating part is that gold record of civilization, which is a strange audio mix of sentimental kisses [wav file, let ET phone home that way] and perhaps the most dated picture of DNA. Some progress there. Voy 1 will likely confuse even modern earthlings-- much less ET. Case in point: In 2002, can we understand that 70's show, when the Polish greeting memorialized as "Welcome, creatures from beyond the outer world"? Unlike those ET creatures we meet daily from the inner world?"
We all know it comes back to destroy Earth soon!
I saw it with my own eyes in Start Trek 1 movie. (based on a tv script as well).
I say hit the self destruct button NOW before its too late!
In about 300 years an advanced extraterrestrial civilization will come across it and think "Ha, what a primitive civilization, THIS is the extent of their technology... hey, they have lots of water and nitrogen, let's go conquer them." And when they get here they're met by the Global Planetary Defense System with its neutron shield and highly accurate laser weaponry instead, manned by fourth generation genetically-engineered Warrior Humans who kill without mercy but can be easily controlled.
Wish I was gonna be around to watch all this.
Of course, by the time that this probe *gets* to our nearest neighbor in the galaxy, man will probably have discovered warp-drive, transporters, replicators, shuttlecraft, and expendable guys in red shirts...
-Rick
I bought a microwave for sixty quid a couple of months ago, and it works fine.
Funny thing is though, when I tried to type microwave I typed microsoft.
When eminent biologist and author Lewis Thomas was asked what message he would choose to send from Earth into outer space in the Voyager spacecraft, he answered, "I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach." After a pause, he added, "But that would be boasting."
I mean damn of all things you could give a person why give them your DNA?
If aliens decide to take over the world, well theres a map, our DNA so they can change their genes to look exactly like us, some wav files so they can learn how we talk and maybe even our language from the greetings. What the hell are Nasa scientists doing? Where is the government and national security?
I mean damn shouldnt the NSA outlaw us putting DNA into space and maps, I dare the scientist who gave our DNA to aliens to post his social security number and credit card number on the internet in plain text!
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
Oh good. Then one of the first missions could be to go out an retreive voyager before it falls into the wrong hands and is used as blackmail.
"Ha! Look at the cute little spacecraft the earthlings sent out thousands of years ago! How pitiful!"
"Shut up, give it back!"
"Oooh, I bet the guys on Gallus V will really get a kick out of this. The Big Bad Earthers and their cute little tin-foil spacecraft!"
Kind of like when your big brother finds a picture of you in the bathtub at age 9 months and threatens to show it to your friends.
There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.
Fully updated with ion or solar sail propulsion to get it out there quicker with a nice AOLesque "VERSION 3.0" stamped on the side so they know its the latest.
On board we also include a copy of Lord of the Rings in DivX format and Mp3's of Britney Spears. That way if the aliens invade, we can tell the RIAA and MPAA they have pirated movies and music and watch the aliens recoil and flee under the unsuing crush of lawyers and DMCA threat letters.
If that doesn't work, we trick them into installing the cracked copy of WinXP convieniently on stowed board and watch their ships fail in horrible and astonishing ways.
Now if that fails, then we trick them into installing AOL and logging onto it. After all nothing can withstand humankinds most powerful weapon... Pure stupidity.
--Won't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop. - Dr. Walter Gibbs
While you're in there, could you get me a beer?
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Yes, but would it be legal?
Isn't it rather "Hello to all intelligent life forms everywere, and to everyone else, the secret is to bang the rocks together, guys"????
Clearly, the martian gunners' capabilities have been misunderestimated.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
I wrote that post during a brief moment when I thought there was an advantage to convincing the world that I am a sub-literate non-native English writer. Surely you've seen how people can act when they have a dream. Yes, a dream: to become a /. editor. Have some compassion; don't laugh at my hopeless ambitions.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
What a stupid comment. Just how does the 4000 bc brick gain enough velocity to escape the gravity of the solar system (let alone the earth)?
By bouncing off the forehead of a numbskull
Table-ized A.I.