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NASA Marks Anniversaries with Beatles Broadcast
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It was probably one of the most narrowly targeted broadcasts in history, but this month NASA transmitted The Beatles’ song “Across the Universe” from a highly directional antenna pointed toward the North Star.
The transmission originated from the NASA Deep Space Network of antennas, and marked the 40th anniversary of the recording of “Across the Universe,” the 45th anniversary of the DSN and the 50th anniversary of NASA.
According to a NASA press release, Sir Paul McCartney responded to the planned broadcast: “Send my love to the aliens.”
Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, the primary author of “Across the Universe,” stated: “I see this as the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe.”
The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, 431 light years away. The song will travel across the universe at 186,000 miles per second. The transmission is aimed at Polaris in the constellation Ursa Major. The target audience — assuming something is out there — won’t hear the broadcast until the year 2439.
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