Yevpatoria becomes the capital of interstellar communications

On February 14, another message will be sent to extraterrestrial civilizations from the Center for Managing and Testing Space Means of Ukraine (Yevpatoria) as a part of the international project Cosmic Call. The project’s Russian coordinator, Aleksandr Zaitsev, Ph. D. in Physics and Mathematics, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics of the Russian Academy of Science, informed journalists that scientists will aim their message toward the civilizations that may exist around Star 47 of the Ursa Major, Star 51 of Cancer, and star cluster in Perseus and the Hunter constellations.

According to the Crimean News Agency, Mr. Zaitsev noted that these constellations were carefully selected. In terms of spectrum class they are identical to our Sun and possess their own planet systems. The coded message will contain basic data on the Earth and its population. It will also include private greetings to our brothers in space — letters and photographs. “On Valentine’s Day, which is celebrated February 14, everybody who is in love will be able to express their feelings to the extraterrestrial civilizations,” the scientist said.

Those who want to send individual messages will have to pay a small fee of $15-20. For a little more money the participants will be allowed to choose a particular address from the list of 40 constellations. The message delivery will take from 40 to 70 light years, and sending it — from 5 to 10 hours. Mr. Zaitsev also stressed that Yevpatoria Space Center meets all requirements for interplanetary communications, because it is equipped with a unique RT-70 telescope.

The first radio transmission for extraterrestrial civilizations took place on November 16, 1974 from the Arecibo observatory (US) with the help of the world’s largest stationary antenna 305 meters in diameter. However, few people know that the first interplanetary radio-telegraph message was sent on November 19, 1962 from Yevpatoria. The message consisted of only three words — Peace, Lenin, and USSR. In 1999 and 2001, the TM Encounter Company (US) in the framework of the Cosmic Call project sent cosmic messages from Yevpatoria. So, the fifth call to potential inhabitants of extraterrestrial civilizations is about to happen. “One can say that Yevpatoria is becoming the capital of interstellar communications,” noted Mr. Zaitsev. One can only hope that this message from Earth will be received and decoded.