Father and daughter decode a mysterious signal from space: what does it mean?

A simulated extraterrestrial message sent from Mars to Earth in 2023 was decoded in June by Ken Chaffin and his daughter, Keli Chaffin, after nearly a year of persistent effort. Created as part of the SETI Institute’s “A Sign in Space” project, the message displays five amino acid formations, although its meaning remains unclear. Daniela de Paulis, SETI artist-in-residence and licensed radio operator, designed the project with other international scientists and artists to explore what an extraterrestrial signal might look like.

Signal reception and decoding process

In May 2023, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter transmitted a signal intended to simulate an extraterrestrial message. This was captured by three Earth-based observatories: the Allen Telescope Array in California, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, and the Medicina radio astronomy station in Italy. Distributed online, the raw data allowed citizen scientists around the world to participate in decoding efforts through a community forum. Decoding required the Chaffins to use cellular automata algorithms on what appeared to be a “star map” of white pixels, ultimately revealing groups representing amino acids.

Interpretation of the message

The Chaffins discovery is confirmed by the project team to represent amino acids, molecules essential to life forms. However, no interpretation has been provided as to why these particular configurations might have been chosen. De Paulis and his team argue that understanding the intent of the message is left to those examining it, in part to mimic a real-life scenario of receiving an extraterrestrial transmission without guidance.

Open interpretation and ongoing exploration

This simulation invites the world’s citizen scientists to theorize about the meaning of the message. Speculation ranges from assembling life-generating compounds in space to a simple extraterrestrial greeting. De Paulis plans to document public interpretations in a future book, recognizing the difficulty of reaching universal consensus on its meaning. Ken and Keli Chaffin, although unsure of the precise intention, expressed excitement about their role in exploring this unique cosmic message.