It seems that a SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) experiment happened decades before the Project Ozma occurred in 1960. The historians at the blog Letters of Note have uncovered a telegram sent in 1924 by then Chief of Naval Operations Edward W. Eberle instructing the United States Navy to listen for radio transmissions from the planet Mars.
The telegram read:
“NAVY DESIRES COOPERATE ASTRONOMERS WHO BELIEVE POSSIBLE THAT MARS MAY ATTEMPT COMMUNICATION BY RADIO WAVES WITH THIS PLANET WHILE THEY ARE NEAR TOGETHER THIS END ALL SHORE RADIO STATIONS WILL ESPECIALLY NOTE AND REPORT ANY ELECTRICAL PHENOMENON UNUSUAL CHARACTER AND WILL COVER AS WIDE BAND FREQUENCIES AS POSSIBLE FROM 2400 AUGUST TWENTY FIRST TO 2400 AUGUST TWENTY FOURTH WITHOUT INTERFERRING WITH TRAFFIC”
During the three day period, during which Mars was in opposition to Earth, nothing but static was detected by Navy radio stations.
Of course it is too bad that this odd bit of history did not become known when the X Files was still in production, as it would have made for an interesting story line.












Comments
Well, it was fun while it lasted. But sometimes childhood's end comes to those in power and ends their career. Fortunately for Eberle, the Navy had other political ambitions at the time. For the rest of us, there is an entire universe that has been given to us to despoil. Let's hope that the narrow-minded politicos don't destroy the cradle before we can launch a galactic civilization.
-Pax
SETI@HOME WAS Hax3d & OWn3D by UFCFCR3w!
I can't help but think that if we were listening for broadcasts, what if they too were listening but neither parties were transmitting? Fools :D
Re: UFCFCr3w Own3d SETI@HOME
If anything you crashed their database like the n00b's you are. Here is to hoping they are suffering legitimate DB issues and not some wanker that can crash a database with their 1337 skills.
You can spend this money better on help for vets and active military personnel
Mind sharing your source? this smells like BS to me
at how stupid you morons commenting are. how can you even breathe?
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