One kilo message and Mosaic Earth: Education and Outreach potential of Interstellar Artefact Message Composition projects
- Paper number
IAC-10.A4.2.7
- Author
Dr. Tibor Pacher, Germany
- Year
2010
- Abstract
SETI is often used as a teaching and outreach tool, explaining various areas of astronomy, physics or astrobiology. On the other side, the educational and public outreach (EPO) potential of composing an intentional message for an alleged extraterrestrial intelligence has not been exploited widely yet, this being especially true for artefact messages to be flown of deep space probes. {\it One kilo message} is designed as an open project, melding humanities, natural sciences and art. Special attention will be given to aiming at the young generation with the creation of a worldwide network of projects to be conducted by secondary school students. In a typical school project there will be around 40 sessions every fourteen days during school time in two years. The deliverables of such a project are the design of a durable time capsule, with proper content of round 1kg mass, and, if financial resources allow for it, a tangible, assembled message. During the message artefact creation process participants will seek answers to the questions how to \begin{itemize}\item represent humanity and Planet Earth?\end{itemize} - a good way to learn about ourselves and our home planet: design and realize the content of the message. \begin{itemize}\item communicate the content to the Absolute Foreign, E.T.?\end{itemize} - this offers the chance to learn about the difficulties and the needed tolerance in communication on Earth as well; how will others perceive our message? \begin{itemize}\item choose the material of the message which should last for a long time and be tough enough to resist deep space conditions?\end{itemize} - opens the way to learn about materials and their duration. \begin{itemize}\item manage long term projects and astronomical distances?\end{itemize} - fosters long term thinking in general, paves the way to astronomy and space technology studies. {\it Mosaic Earth} builds Earth images like the famous Blue Marble as a mosaic composition with faces of the people as tiles. Using a well-known symbol of Earth connected to space, the project's target is to get people involved in building an emblem to represent our home planet, with all our diversity and unity at the same time, which can be easily flown on deep space missions as well. Implications of both projects and their common framework {\it Faces from Earth} - http://www.faces-from-earth.net - related to social value generation, raising awareness for deep space research, first results and experiences will be discussed.- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)