Messages to Be Stored and Read 50,000 Years Later

Reuters ^ | September 03, 2002 12:36 PM ET | Reuters

[US admirer]

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Want to send a message to your future descendants that will be read 500 centuries later?

A group headed by a French scientist, putting together a satellite-based time capsule, is in India seeking messages that will orbit Earth for 50,000 years and then return to the planet.

The non-profit 'KEO' program, costing at least $50 million, is funded by more than two dozen mostly European firms, some of which have interests in the space industry. It has also been elected as UNESCO ( news - web sites)'s 'Project for the 21st century'.

"It's a gift from the people of today to the people of tomorrow," Jean-Marc Philippe, a scientist-turned-artist and the creator of KEO, told a news conference.

"We have enough memory on satellite to store six billion messages. The small, powerful, weak, strong and the rich have four pages (each) to pen down their thoughts." The spherical, 220-pound satellite, which has several shields to protect it from shocks, cosmic debris and meteorites, will be launched in space from the French Arianne rocket by the end of 2003.

"India has such a rich legacy and diverse culture that I can't imagine KEO being launched into space without carrying India's essence aboard," Sejal Gupta, communications officer for the program, told Reuters.

Gupta said the group had met more than 1,000 Indian students on the first two days of their 20-day visit in the country.

"The response has been overwhelming in India," Gupta said noting the project had received thousands of messages through post, and on its Web site, www.keo.org, from people aged between four and 84 years in over 60 languages and from 181 countries.

Philippe said he was reasonably sure an intelligent human race that could benefit from KEO's immense data would still exist when the satellite returns.

"If we don't do anything stupid we'll continue to exist beyond 50,000 years, which is just one percent of the time span of human existence that began on earth some five million years ago."

[US admirer]

I, can't wait!

[general_re]

I, can't wait!

That's it? You know, they give you four whole pages to use.

I figure, given how often I'm told that WE'RE DOOMED! around here, I'll enclose some practical advice. "The lights in the sky are called 'stars'." Maybe some easy-to-understand instructions on how to make fire. The sort of thing that our descendants in the new Dark Ages will find useful...

[PoorMuttly]

"Should we read this, sir?"

"Nah...burn it. People were jerks then."

[ClearCase_guy]

"If we don't do anything stupid we'll continue to exist beyond 50,000 years, which is just one percent of the time span of human existence that began on earth some five million years ago."

Incredibly ignorant. I won't get into the issue of Evolution here. Any scientist who accepts the mainstream theory of Evolution will tell you that folks like you and me have not been walking around for 5 million years. In fact, 50,000 years is about the amount of time that Homo Sapiens has been here (if you listen to the scientsts). So jumping forward 50,000 years is pretty darn daring.

I say they should give me the $50 million. I will throw these messages into the ocean or drop them on some obscure mountain peak. That's most likely where they'll end up anyway.

[Constitution Day]

I, can't wait!

This, could be very series!!

[Billthedrill]

...one of which will read "Note to self: remember to turn off gas before going on vacation."

[al_c]

Yet another colossial waste of money.

[Constitution Day]

Yep.
Another will be...

[FourtySeven]

bttt...home read.

[robertpaulsen]

LOL

[aShepard]

"India has such a rich legacy and diverse culture that I can't imagine KEO being launched into space without carrying India's essence aboard,"

Maybe the Indians should worry how to get enough food for their masses and control the population, and reduce filth.

Maybe then they can play with expensive satellites. What are the priorities?

[M. T. Cicero II]

I can't imagine that silicon-based semi-conductors would last that long - metal migration. Any plasitcs will certainly have degraded into goo, gas and dust by then. This is why the Voyager info was engraved into the the surface of a gold disk.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Surely a post to Usenet with the title "Please ignore until 52003" will do the trick.

[dangermouse]

Don't Panic

Be sure to write it in friendly letters.

[Pagey]

"...If we don't do anything stupid we'll continue to exist beyond 50,000 years..."

Not to be too cynical,but this planet will surely be blessed to make it another 500 years.Think about that.Look at the decay in our civilization (every facet) since,say 1950 to 2002 and you'll see what I'm getting at.50,000 years, yeah right.That's very funny.For Example:That West Nile Virus sure seems to be spreading itself around the last few months,doesn't it?

[mikeIII]

Yes, etching would be the method - in fact micro etching, that can be read directly using electron microscopy.

[boris]

I asked two of my colleagues what they would say to people 50,000 years from now.

One didn't blink an eye: "Have the Cubs won the series yet?"

The other said, "Please unfreeze my head."

Compared with some of the messages, these are high art.

One Frenchman, unclear on the concept, wrote something like: "Extraterrestrial! You must help me. I am in love with Jeanette upstairs yet she does not notice me or know I exist. She will not believe I love her unless you tell her. So please visit her flat and tell her of my love," or something like that.

--Boris

[boris]

I suppose someone has already informed them that all their base are belong to us.