ISPACE EXPLORATION AND SETI HELLO OUT...

ISPACEEXPLORATIONAND SETI

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HELLO OUT THERE:MESSAGE FROM SPACE

ACTIVITY1-5

GRADE LEVEL: 7-9+

Source: Reprinted with permission from Astra Adventures, by Dennis Schatz and Doug Cooper.Copyright @1994by The Pacific Science Center. "Simulated Message From Space" isCopyright 1976, 1992 by The Regents of the University of California. Reprinted by per-mission of the Lawrence Hall of Science. No reproduction of this activity of any sort ispermitted without written permission from Pacific Science Center. Order AstroAdventures from Arches Gift Shop, Pacific Science Center, 200 Second Ave. N., Seattle,WA 98109-4895; (206) 443-2001. Book order form provided in the Resources &Bibliographies section of this notebook.

What's This ActivityAbout?If we did receive a message from an

extraterrestrial intelligence, what might it say?How would it appear? What would we say toaliens possibly "listening in" to our electromag-netic signals? This activity has sparked wonder-ful discussion and thought in the ASP's nationalworkshops, and in classrooms across the coun-try. The activity encourages students to applywhat they know about our solar system andhuman exploration to an alien system.

What Will Students Do?

Starting first with the message attached tothe Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft, studentsexplore what might be put into a message to a

What Will Students learn?

ConceptsScaleand structure of the solar systemEvolutionof intelligenceTime scales for exploration

presumed intelligent being who does not under-stand our language, symbols, culture, or evenhow we exist. From this analysis, they decode asimulated message from space.

Tipsand Suggestions. The simulated message from the extraterres-trial species actually incorporates a possibletime line for their explorationof their solar system.. Before tackling this activity, students shouldhave a good foundation in what our solar sys-tem looks like. They will need to know theshape and dimensions of the Milky Waygalaxy in order to decode the last part of themessage.

Big IdeasPatterns of ChangeModelsand Simulations

Inquiry SkillsObserving SystematicallyExplainingInferringReasoningDescribing

PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCE NOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC 34

SPACEEXPLORATIONAND SETI

1-5, Hello Out There:Messagefrom Space

HELLO OUT THERE: MESSAGE FROM SPACEAstronomers and others have long been fascinated with the possibility of life existingin other parts of the universe. In this activity, students examine various attempts tocommunicate our existence to other intelligent life forms in our galaxy, and thenanalyze and interpret a simulated radio wave message received from a civilizationorbiting a star many light years away.

CONCEPT

Communication using an unfamiliar language is a difficultprocess and may be basedupon observation and inferences.

OBJECTIVESStudents will:

. use skills of observation and inference to interpret an unfamiliar communicationsystem.

. understand how humans are attempting to communicate with other intelligentbeings outside our solar system.. use problem solving to interpret messages sent into space, and decode a simu-lated message from an intelligent civilization outside our solar system.

. develop a return message conveying important information about our civiliza-tion, and conceive a mechanism for sending a return message.

MATERIALS

Message from Space TIlustrations (four pages of illustrations for simulated message)Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 Plaque TIlustrationArecibo Radio Message TIlustrationenvelope

PROCEDURE

Advanced Preparation:

This activity takes several days. Plan an adequate amount of class time. Make copies of theMessage From Space Illustrations, the Pioneer Plaque Illustration, and the Arecibo Radio

Message Illustration. You may wish to create overhead transparencies of these illustrations.Fold and put one copy of the alien message from space in an envelope addressed from the

imaginary Academy of Galactic Communications Research to use on Day 3.Ifpossible,ftnd a copy of Charles Osgood's poem, "Sounds of the Earth," from NothingCould Be Finer Than a Crisis That Is Minor in the Morning, Holt, Rinehart, Winston,1979, pp. 186-188. It provides a humorous perspective about our attempt to communicatewith distant worlds.

@1994lry Pacific Science Center

35 PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICAL SOCIETYOF THE PACIFIC



DAY 1

1. Begin a discussion aboutthe possibilityoflifeexistingin other parts of the universe.

2. Divide students into groups of three or four. Give each group a copy of the Pioneer10 and Pioneer 11 Plaque illustration. Each group should examine the plaque,making a list of what they think humans were trying to communicate with theimages on the plaque. Students should not be concerned with being right or wrong,but should work at making their best inferences based on their collectiveexperiences and knowledge. This is similar to the process a distant life form wouldhave to use if it discovers the plaque.

3. Have each group share its ideas with the rest of the class. Conduct a general discus-sion to synthesize the various ideas.

4. Follow the students' discussion with a description of what the plaque authors in-tended to communicate. This is a good time to emphasize how difficult it is toconvey information when one doesn't know who willbe receiving it.

5. Distribute copies of the Arecibo Radio Message illustration that humans have sentinto space. Allowstudents until the next class session to analyze the message ontheir own and come up with their best interpretation of it. Encourage them to getsuggestions from familymembers.

DAY 21. Have students again work in their groups to analyze the Arecibo Radio Message

illustration and to share individual ideas. Each group should then prepare an oralpresentation of its collective interpretation of this illustration.

2. Share each group's ideas with the rest of the class and then have a general discus-sion to synthesize the various ideas.

3. At the conclusion of the discussion, share with students the message the authorswere trying to convey.

4. Have students work in their groups to devise a new message that conveys importantcharacteristics of their culture. This could be a radio message like the Arecibomessage, a physical message like the Pioneerplaque, or a time capsule aboard aspacecraft. Students should have as many options as possible. Allowthe remainderof the class period to work on this project.

@1994 by Pacific Science Center

PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICALSOCIETYOF THEPACIFIC 36

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1-5, Hello Out There: Message/rom Space

DAV3

Teacher's Note: Some acting skills should be used to allow students to believe inthe possibility of the simulated message used in this activity.Youshould not give them any reason to believe otherwise. Your goalshould be to treat this as a real science problem and to encouragestudents to use their best problem solving skills.

1. Before the groups have the opportunity to continue planning their new messages,tell the class that you have been asked by the Academy of Galactic Communica-tions Research to analyze a radio message just received from what is thought to bea distant intelligent civilization.Indicate that you think the students would like toattempt interpreting it. You will convey whatever they discover to the Academy ofGalactic Communications Research staff.

2. Explain that the message is similar to the one humans sent from the Arecibo radiotelescope. The only thing known is that the message came from the directionindicated on the top of the message. This gives the exact direction the telescopewas pointing, in a way similar to how we can locate an exact position on the earthusing longitude and latitude.

3. Distribute copies of the message from space to each work group. Have them worktogether to decode it.Teacher's Note: It is important to emphasize throughout this activity that no one

knows what information the message contains. This allowsyou todeflect all requests to be told what it says, which is in keepingwith how science actually operates. A possible explanation hasbeen included to give you an idea of the range of interpretation.

4. Allowtime for analyzing the message. This activityworks best if the groups haveabout 30 minutes one day to work on the message, and then a one- or two-daybreak before finishing their analysis.

DAV4

(This may actually be two or three days after the last session.)1. Have students return to their groups. During this session they are to :finishanalyz-

ing the message from space and prepare a class presentation of their interpretation.Teacher's Note: Although students willcontinue to ask for the right answer and

want to know if it is an authentic message, do not yet reveal thesimulated nature of the message.


37 PROJECTASTRORESOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICALSOCIETYOF THEPACIFIC

SPAce EXPLORATIONAND SETI

1-5,Hello Out There:Messagefrom Space

2. Conduct a sharing session to reveal the interpretation ideas developed by eachgroup. Discuss the various ideas. Tell the students that they have done the best jobpossible deciphering the message, and that you will convey the results to theAcademy of Galactic Communications Research staff.Teacher's Note: After you have completed all related activities,you can inform the

students that you learned the message was a prank being playedby the Academy of Galactic Communications Research staff.

3. Conclude the session by having students complete the new message they wouldsend into space. A return message to the extraterrestrials who sent the simulatedradio message may be a new possibility. Important questions students shouldconsider as they prepare the message are:. What are the important aspects of our culture that should be conveyed?. Whatare the advantagesanddisadvantagesof differentmeansofcommunication

(e.g., low cost and speed of radio message versus greater variety and moreconcrete nature of time capsule aboard a spacecraft)?

. How can return messages build on information the two civilizationshave incommon, based on the message sent to us?

4. Have each group share their return message with the rest of the class.

DAYS

1. Begin with a class discussion on what students have learned from the previousactivities about communication with beings from another part of the universe.

2. Share Charles Osgood's poem, "Sounds of the Earth." It emphasizes the challengeof deciding how to send information to a culture that we know nothing about-if itexists in the first place. What specific references to the challenge of long-distancecommunication with intelligent life in a faraway place are made in the poem?

GOING FURTHERDo research to discover the information astronomers included on a record album sentaboard the Voyagerspacecraft.


PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK!ASTRONOMICALSOCIETYOF THEPACIFIC 38

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1-5, Hello Out Tbere:Message/rom Space

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

PIONEER PLAQUE

Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 were launched in the early 1970s to examine the planetJupiter in the mid-1970s. After flying past Jupiter, these spacecraft continued to travelto the outer reaches of space. Each spacecraft carries an identical 9-inch by 6-inchplaque that contains a message for a space travelling civilization that might discoverthe spacecraft as it traverses deep space. (Although not a part of its mission, it wouldtake 100,000 years for Pioneer to travel to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri. ThePioneer spacecraft are not traveling in that direction.)

Key elements on the plaques are shown in the following diagram.e

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01) Schematic drawing of our solar system, showing the spacecraft coming from the

third planet and flyingby Jupiter and Saturn. Relativedistances to the planets aregiven in binary notation next to each planet.

2) Male and female humans shown against silhouette of the Pioneer spacecraft. Hu-mans are shown in proper relative size to the spacecraft. Hand gesture of the maleis meant to be symbol of peace.

3) Position of our sun relative to 14 pulsars and the center of our galaxy. The sun is atthe center of the lines, with the length of each line being proportional to the dis-tance from the sun. The lines also represent the approximate direction of eachpulsar from our sun. How often the pulsars pulse on and off is given in binarynotation along the line pointing to each pulsar's location.

4) Schematic view of a hydrogen molecule, which is the most abundant substance inthe universe. The period of pulsars is given in units based on the frequency of radiowaves emitted by hydrogen.


39 PROJEG ASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICALSOCIETYOF THEPACIFIC

SPACEEXPLORATIONAND SETf


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ARECIBO RADIO MESSAGEIn 1974,a radio message was transmitted from the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico. Itwas sent in the direction of a cluster of stars 25,000light years away. The messagecontained 1,679bits of information, which can be thought of as a continuous string ofX's and blanks-just like in the simulated message used in Day 3. Since 1,679is theproduct of two prime numbers (73 and 23), it is hoped that the civilizationreceivingthe message will realize that the string of information bits should arranged in a 73 x 23array to produce the picture shown below. This illustration is a graphic representationof the radio message.

Key components of the message are:1) The numerals 0 through 9 using a binary counting system.

2) The atomic numbers of the elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, andphosphorus, of which humans are made.

3) The nucleotides and sugar-phosphates of DNA,given in terms of elements shownin Component 2.

4) The number of nucleotides in the genes of the human shown in Component 5.

5) A schematic drawing of humans.

6) The height of the humans given in units of the wavelength of the radio waves usedto transmit the message.

7) The human population of Earth in 1974.

8) A schematic drawing of the solar system, with the thirdplanet being of special interest because it is out of line.

9) The radio telescope sending the message, with its sizegiven between the horizontal lines at the bottom.


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41 PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCE NOTEBOOKI ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC

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PROJECTASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK/ASTRONOMICALSOCIETYOF THEPACIFIC 42




SIMULATED MESSAGE FROM SPACE

The following infonnation is contained in the simulated message. Please rememberthat this activity works best ifyou do not reveal this infonnation to the students untilafter their discussion of their interpretations.

1) The numerals 0 through 9.

2) A schematic drawing showing the fonnation of the distantcivilization's planetary system, with the time zero shown at bot-tom. Planets are diffuse, indicating that they are still fonning.

3) A schematic drawing showing that the planets have fully fonnedafter a period of time. This is indicated by the infonnation at thelower left side of the illustration. The numeral symbols translate to1,000,000,000(one billion) time units. The unit of time is un-known; it could be years, minutes, decades, seconds, or "blorks."

4) A schematic drawing showing that life has fonned on the fourthplanet from the central star. The time period is 4,000,000,000timeunits from the very first illustration of the simulated message.

5) A schematic drawing showing that the three inner planets werecolonized. Some students interpret this to mean that the civiliza-tions on the other three planets destroy the fourth planet Eitherinterpretation is reasonable, although the fact that the three innerplanets shown in Section 6 have fonned into triangles probablygives the colonization interpretation the greatest weight A periodof 4,001,000,000time units has passed since the beginning.

6) A schematic drawing showing that the fourth planet explodes4,001,001,000time units from the beginning.

7) A schematic drawing showing the present situation, with life onthe three inner planets. The fourth planet is gone. A period of4,001,001,153time units has passed since the beginning.

8) Schematic drawing of our solar system. Note that the relative sizesof the planets are shown correctly, and that Saturn has rings. Thenumbering system of 0 through 9 is shown below the planets.


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SPACEEXPLORATIONAND SETf


9) A line from our sun to the earth, with number 1 at the center of the line, showsthat the distant civilizationis using this distance to define both distance and time.The distance is 93 millionmiles, and the time for light to travel this distance isapproximately eight minutes. This information can be used to provide units for thetimes expressed in previous sections, and to get the distance to the planetarysystem shown in Section 11.

10) A schematic drawing of the distant civilization'splanetary system. The numbering system is re-peated under each planet. Note that the fourthplanet is missing. The short line between the starand the first planet indicates that the message iscoming from that planet.

11) A schematic drawing of the Milky Way Galaxy,with lines showing the relative position of the twoplanetary systems. The number 19,447,200appear-ing in the middle of the vertical line represents thedistance, in astronomical units, between the twoplanetary systems. This equals almost 2 millionbillion miles (2,000,000,000,000,000),or 340 lightyears. (One astronomical unit is the distance fromearth to the sun, 93 million miles.)

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The followingfour pages of images for the simulated message from space arecopyright @1976,1992,by Regents of the University of California.Reprinted by permission of the Lawrence Hall of Science.

A simulated Message from Spacefrom Pacific Science Center

Astronomy Education Curriculum ProjectFunded in part by theUniversity of WashingtonNASA Space Grant Program


PROJECTASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICALSOCIETYOF THE PACIFIC 44

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45 PROJEGASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICALSOCIETYOF THEPACIFIC

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PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCENOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICALSOCIETYOFTHE PACIFIC 46

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