Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 490 Signals to Space

Arthur Clarke's face was filled with surprise and curiosity when he saw Lin Ran.

His first reaction wasn't to ask Lin Ran why, but to tear a page from his notebook, hand it to Lin Ran, and whisper, "Professor, you absolutely have to sign this for me."

"Next Halloween, I'll have a trump card to deal with my neighbor's kids."

Arthur C. Clark had no children, so he was referring to the neighbor's child.

Lin Ran smiled and took the linen paper, then casually wrote on it: "May the moon be with you, Randolph Lin, NASA."

Arthur C. Clark was even more delighted: "Thank you so much, Professor. May your discovery of the nine billionth name in the universe be far more peaceful than expected, and may you always find the next dimension hidden beyond seemingly impossible boundaries!"

Lin Ran was somewhat surprised. How did you know I came from another dimension?
But on second thought, this is just Arthur C. Clarke's style.

Philip K. Dick then added, "Professor, it's been a long time."

"Philip, it's been a long time."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Ran walked onto the stage. The science fiction writers from all over the world looked at each other in surprise, not expecting such a good thing to happen.

It's amazing that a professor could be found in Washington, D.C., for such a science popularization project.

Dr. Drake, one of the project leaders, handed the podium to Lin Ran: "Next, let the professor say a few words to everyone."

He led the applause, and then the writers in the audience followed suit.

"Thank you all for coming from all over the world to Washington, D.C. to participate in our Arecibo project."

Sir Arthur C. Clarke was in the audience. He once wrote an article entitled "Broadcasting Beyond Earth," which detailed a geostationary satellite system that could transmit radio and television signals to the entire world for long-distance communication.

Even those who specialized in this field expressed doubts after reading it.

Twenty years later, we actually launched the Morning Bird geostationary satellite.

Therefore, since I became NASA Administrator, I have been committed to working with science fiction writers, hoping to use your sparks of inspiration to illuminate the direction of our future development.

Sir Clark and Mr. Philip Dick just had a debate about the Arecibo project.

They each believed that

Lin Ran briefly shared the two authors' views, and the science fiction writers in the audience each held their own opinions.

Some thought Clark was too naive, while others thought Philip K. Dick was too pessimistic.

"In my view, the debate between the two gentlemen depicts two different tendencies in humanity when faced with the unknown: boundless hope and profound fear."

Sir Clark believed the future was bright, and that extraterrestrials who could come to Earth would naturally be benevolent towards humanity and the planet.

Mr. Dick, on the other hand, believes that groups are driven by interests. They must have something to gain from coming to Earth, and Earth needs to create benefits for them. No matter what kind of benefits they bring, they are not good for Earth.

Even if it doesn't involve overt colonization like in the Middle Ages, it probably can't escape covert control.

When civilizations collide, the law of the jungle prevails.

If, as Mr. Dick has warned, a civilization with the capability to colonize interstellar space has arrived, what would that mean for Earth's civilization?
That would mean that, for the first time, human civilization would face a real, common threat that transcends race, national borders, and ideology.

In that instant, America and Soviet Russia, East and West, all barriers would become absurd and ridiculous.

All our internal conflicts and struggles will be replaced by a powerful survival instinct.

Even if this letter only attracts attention in the distant future, the sense of potential threat it evokes could become the most powerful force for internal unity in human history.

It will force us to stop seeing each other as enemies when facing the common boundary of the universe.

Humanity will face an unprecedented struggle for survival.

Okay, allow me to describe it as a struggle.

Philip K. Dick raised his hand, and Lin Ran nodded to indicate that he could speak.

"Professor, what if they are hostile to humans, and our struggle is futile?"
Could this act become the source of humanity's destruction?

"I don't know," Lin Ran said quietly.

This statement was like cold water being poured into a hot oil pan, instantly causing an uproar.

Everyone became serious.

what's the situation.

Could a seemingly ordinary NASA project of ours possibly become the beginning of humanity's destruction?
But judging from Philip K. Dick's guess just now, it seems quite possible.

"I think that probably not every civilization can have such favorable conditions as humans, such a perfect home planet as Earth, such a huge satellite as the Moon that can provide tidal stability, and such a stable habitable zone as the solar system."

Imagine a civilization whose home planet has been destroyed and which has been forced into exile.

They drifted in the cold darkness of the universe and captured a signal from Earth, an address that described in detail a perfect ecosystem, abundant water, and a mild climate.

For them, that wasn't a neighbor; it was Eden, their only salvation.

Would they be overjoyed? Would they immediately embark on a journey to Earth?
Their attitude towards humans is probably not much better.

We are not the companions they are looking for; what they need is not humanity, but the Earth.

But such an existence is a good thing for humanity.

Philip Dick thought to himself: As expected of a professor, this can be a good thing.

"My view is similar to Philip K. Dick's: once civilizations in the universe discover us, they will be filled with malice."

But I'm not as pessimistic about the future as Philip.

As science fiction writers, I believe that most of us are more or less familiar with the Fermi Paradox.

The universe is so vast, containing billions of stars. If extraterrestrial civilizations are widespread, why haven't we observed any signals or evidence of them?

Is Earth the only civilization in the universe with intelligent life?

The Fermi Paradox was proposed in 1950 and, after 20 years of development, has become a relatively common science fiction concept.

Works such as Arthur C. Clarke's "The Outpost," Lewis's "The Silent Planet," and Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" all utilize the Fermi Paradox to varying degrees.

"I believe there is a great filter in the development of civilization."

In the process of civilization evolving from the origin of life to the development of an advanced civilization capable of utilizing the resources of an entire galaxy, there must be one or a series of extremely difficult and insurmountable developmental obstacles.

Such developmental obstacles are extremely difficult to overcome.

Of course, I'm not saying that sending signals into outer space can help us overcome such obstacles.

Rather, I believe that without external pressure, it would be difficult for humans to cross that threshold on their own.

Sir, you believe that human morality will evolve naturally.

In reality, the human world is full of conflict. We spend most of our energy fighting each other and consuming resources, while devoting very little energy to real technological development.

We are trapped in the cradle of Earth by our own internal conflicts, unable to concentrate our efforts to truly achieve interstellar travel.
If we can find extraterrestrial civilizations that exist in the universe and harbor ill intentions towards Earth, this would be the best accelerator for human civilization. In this respect, I agree with Sir Arthur C. Clarke's viewpoint.

The more advanced a civilization is, the less hostile it is to us, because it has solved the problem of scarcity and transcended the need for colonization.

The more primitive the civilization, the more hostile they are to us, because they may be fleeing or fighting for survival.

Therefore, Project Arecibo is like sending out a missing person notice into the universe.

We hope to find a malicious civilization, but one that is not so powerful as to be insurmountable.

A well-timed enemy, a whip that can put pressure on us but not instantly destroy us—like the scourge of God from the Mongols in history—would be an accelerator that allows human civilization to cross its own great filter at the fastest speed.

“The professor’s views are a bit too extreme,” Philip Dick complained on the private plane bound for Puerto Rico.

They gathered in Washington and then flew to Puerto Rico on a Boeing plane chartered by NASA.

Lin Ran naturally wouldn't go.

He was there yesterday simply because he had just finished a meeting at the White House and his secretary told him that the Arecibo project was being presented, so he came over to give a speech.

The speech was very effective. Lin Ran's speech successfully raised Arecibo, a project that only had a small circle of science fiction enthusiasts to the level of public attention.

His theories, including the Great Filter and the Scourge of God from the universe, were discussed in the second pages of major newspapers.

"Are we lucky or doomed? The Great Filter and the Interstellar Threat Theory," this is a report from The New York Times.

Only Americans are paying attention; the news hasn't spread globally yet, after all, it's not royal gossip.

"The people of America now regard Arecibo as a ritual that summons alien enemies."

"If the universe does indeed recover in the future, the public's reaction will be pure panic; things probably won't turn out the way the professor thinks," Philip Dick said.

“Ivan’s view is not extreme, Philip,” Arthur Clarke said softly. “I think the professor is simply projecting all the cruelty of human history onto a cosmic scale.”

He believed that conflict was the best driver of progress.

Philip K. Dick looked at the clouds outside the window and sighed: "No, it's arrogance."

The professor had never experienced failure, and he was so arrogant that he believed we could choose the perfect enemy.

The universe is not a laboratory, and civilization is not experimental material that can be started at will.

After arriving in Arecibo from San Juan, the team, which included journalists, science fiction writers, and experts, was taken directly to the vicinity of this giant cosmic ear.

They were first struck by the spectacular sight: a giant bowl-shaped antenna, over a thousand feet in diameter, nestled quietly within the karst landscape of the tropical rainforest.

The control room is located below the bowl-shaped device. It looks simple on the outside, but it is filled with highly concentrated energy.

Dozens of devices emitted a low hum.

Five minutes before the official launch, the reporters were led by Carl Sagan to a glass window overlooking the entire antenna reflector.

The nights in Puerto Rico are free from urban light pollution, and the Milky Way appears as a vast, shimmering stream.

The launch tower tilted silently upwards, precisely aiming in the designated direction.

Arthur C. Clark's face showed peace and contentment.

He looked up at the starry sky, and in his heart he could already see that the signal had traveled through thousands of light-years of dust, and the debate of the past few days seemed to have disappeared.

“What a beautiful scene, Philip,” Clark whispered. “It’s grander than any novel. We’re sending a note into the universe with human ingenuity.”

Philip Dick, meanwhile, kept his eyes fixed on the tower-like structure at the center of the telescope, which would be the starting point for the signal to be emitted.

He was pessimistic about the future.

“I hope what we’ve sent isn’t a note, but a huge question mark,” Philip K. Dick said. “A huge question mark about our intentions, about whether we deserve a response, about whether we’re really ready for that echo?”

All sound in the control room disappeared, leaving only Dr. Drake's commands:

"Master oscillator synchronization, Klystron power increased to two megawatts, data stream sequence locked at 1679 bits, ready to send."

All eyes were on the flashing indicator lights and timer on the wall.

At the moment of startup, there was no earth-shattering explosion, only a low and long "hum" sound from the instrument, like an electric current flowing through a giant conductor.

Pure energy is relentlessly abandoning Earth at the speed of light, shooting towards the distant stars.

In those extremely short 167.9 seconds, time seemed to stand still.

This energy instantly contained the wisdom accumulated by human civilization over five thousand years.

It passed through the glass windows, through the roof of the control room, and drifted toward the M13 star cluster.

Those present could feel that human history had been given a completely new beginning in that short minute.

Whether it was the professor's expectations for humanity, Clark's hopes, or Dick's fears, all were enveloped by this irreversible energy and propelled towards an unknowable future at a speed of 30 kilometers per second.

“Data stream complete. Power reduced to standby level,” Dr. Drake announced.

Applause rang out in the control room, but it was short-lived and quickly replaced by something unknown.

No one knows whether the future predicted by the professor will come to pass.

The Cold War was chaotic enough; if we add aliens to the mix, how are we supposed to survive?
Carl Sagan stepped forward, spoke into the microphone, and his voice echoed throughout the control room:

"Ladies and gentlemen, our actions tonight are an irrevocable declaration by humankind to the universe: we exist."

Now, we have entered a wait of 25,000 years.

This wait will be much longer than recorded human history.

Whatever the response may be, whether it brings new knowledge or new challenges.

This will all mark the next stage of human civilization's evolution.

“I feel that starting tonight, humanity’s existence is no longer confined to Earth,” Dick Phillips said. “Hopefully, there will be no surprises. Compared to the cosmic scourge the professor spoke of, I still think humanity is already quite fortunate.”

Clark said, "I think it's very romantic. Even if humanity no longer exists 20,000 years from now, this signal drifting in the universe will become proof of our existence."

It's impossible for accidents not to happen.

The next morning, the entire tour group was surprised.

Logically speaking, all the NASA staff who were supposed to hold the event at the hotel had disappeared.

No one was there to serve them.

It wasn't until almost lunchtime that a NASA staff member rushed into the hotel, his face completely pale, as if he had just returned from hell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are very sorry, but we need to end our trip early. Someone will meet you at the airport."

(End of this chapter)