FORTEAN TIMES UNCONVENTION 1997

Dr Mark Biddiss is a science education consultant.

In 1972-73 a plaque was sent out on Pioneers ten and eleven, which were sent to survey Jupiter and Saturn. It was realised that these would be leaving the solar system. Hoagland suggested the plaque. It was designed by Carl Sagan, his wife and Frank Drake. There were four elements to it. (1) A pulsar map showing where we, Earth, are, (2) a representation of the solar system, (3) a drawing of a dish representing the Pioneer to give scale against the human forms and (4) the naked man and woman.

There were complaints from all races, all of which thought the naked figures looked too much like them! Feminists complained about the stance of the woman. Other people complained about the raised hand of the man - what would the gesture mean to aliens? Then there were those who were angry that smut was being sent out into the solar system.

In the late 1970's Voyagers one and two were launched. This time they could send recorded messages. Copper discs were put on the outside of the vessel, surrounded by aluminium.

The first image is a circle, to show proportions. The disc contains music, greetings and slide images.
The greetings were made by the UN and there is also a recording of a humpback whale (a whale greeting?). There is also a formula to work out planetary orbits, which a computer turned into sound.

Biddiss plays us a twelve minute segment of sounds. It starts with the sound of explosions or thunder, then there is bubbling mud, rain and thunder, then water, then it fades into the sounds of insects and birds, a forest, the birds are louder, there a frogs, there is grunting or quacking, then monkey howls fade in, then there is a roaring animal. There follows wind, with a howling wolf or something, then a percussive heartbeat and a scratching sound, then some animal, then a human (Kalahari) voice with tools, then thumping, a barking dog, sheep and birds, then clanging, then sawing and hammering, then drilling. There follows a beeping signal - Morse for "To the stars through difficulties." Then vehicles, then the rattling chain sound of a horse and cart, then a train with a bell and horns etc., then a chugging vehicle, then a car, then cars plural. There is a loud noise. An American male voice then says "10-9-8 ignition sequence starts," and there is the sound of the lift off of the rocket Saturn 5. There is the sound of a baby in the background for a moment. At the end of the rocket there is a schlock-cut sound, which is a kiss! Then a baby can be heard with an American woman talking to him. There is a weird sound then, some clumping.

Biddiss says that there follows greetings in fifty-five languages and eighty-seven and a half minutes of classical and folk music, and a slice of Chuck Berry.

Then we are taken through the visual images. The first is of the Earth, with a list of the chemicals of the atmosphere. Then the sun, then the chemicals of life, then genetic information, including the double helix. Biddiss considers this very dangerous information to be giving out. How can we assume all aliens are benevolent? There is an image of (frog) cell division taking place, then human body cutaways (including the black dots from the encyclopaedia!), details about sexual reproduction, a silhouette of sperm racing to an egg and a photo of that. There is cell division after fertilisation with a time reference in seconds. There is a foetus with a time reference and a photo of a real embryo. There is a silhouette of a man and a pregnant woman. There are photos of a baby being born and breast feeding. There is a photo of a man with a child. Then children in school (the UN international school), silhouette ranges of sizes and weights and ages, an odd photo showing five generations of one family (including the pictures on the wall), a picture of the arrangement of continents (a hand shows it as it is now, then there are past and future arrangements). There follows a picture of the earth with its significant elements, the elements that it is made of. Again this is potentially very dangerous information to be giving out. The next images are of, animals and naked people (the woman this time has her hand raised). Apparently this is an evolutionary sequence. There are then flying dolphins, scientists with chimpanzees, a man on a horse with a dog and tracks in the sand. Then a man measuring a crocodile on its back, a human on top of a pinnacle, a man eating, a woman eating in a supermarket, an ignuman wasp (which is a parasite that lays its eggs in a living host and kills its host), sea, mountains, a leaf, a tree etc. etc.

The disc is protected with aluminium cover so it could survive for millions of years. Beside it are visual instructions about how to "play" it.

Dr Biddiss is against this kind of information being sent out into the galaxy without knowing who will see it. It gives out important genetic and strategic information. It reveals what mineral resources we have and allows hungry aliens to see what's on the menu.

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