How would you feel if contacted by aliens? Scientists simulate first contact from extraterrestrial civilisation

In an endeavour to explore the possibilities of extraterrestrial communication, the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft, currently orbiting the Red Planet, is set to transmit a signal to Earth today. While the message itself may not originate from an alien civilization, the exercise provides an invaluable opportunity to enhance global cooperation and explore the implications of contact with intelligent beings from other worlds.

The signal, simulated to represent a message from an extraterrestrial civilization, will be received by prominent radio observatories including the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array (ATA), the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) at the Green Bank Observatory (GBO), and the Medicina Radio Astronomical Station observatory managed by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), on 24 May starting at 20:15 CEST.

This groundbreaking initiative, A Sign in Space, aims to delve into the hypothetical scenario of receiving a message from an extraterrestrial civilization and the subsequent decoding and interpretation of its content. Both the public and experts from different fields have been invited to participate in this momentous event.

"Receiving a message from an extraterrestrial civilization would be a profoundly transformational experience for all humankind. "A Sign in Space" offers the unprecedented opportunity to tangibly rehearse and prepare for this scenario through global collaboration, fostering an open-ended search for meaning across all cultures and disciplines," said Daniela de Paulis, the visionary artist behind the A Sign in Space project.

If we do receive a signal from space, it would not be just scientists who catch it. Today, many individuals, organisations, universities & companies have access to antennas.Any message would be for the whole planet and, just like art, it could be interpreted in countless ways. pic.twitter.com/bm8m04ySRE

— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) May 24, 2023

Launched in 2016, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is on a mission to search for evidence of methane and other trace atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes on Mars. The orbiter also serves as a communications relay for landers and rovers on the Martian surface.