While NASA has been busy sending friendly messages out into space, it's overlooked one important issue. What if the aliens aren't friendly? Haven't the folks at NASA watched the "Alien" movies? A Kickstarter project is aiming to counteract NASA's open-arms policy by blasting a satellite into space with a less likeable version of humanity onboard.
In the 1970s, NASA sent two Pioneer spacecraft out into the universe bearing plaques with directions to Earth and illustrations of naked humans to show what extraterrestrial visitors could expect upon arrival at our humble planet. Ridiculo.us, creators of the Your Face in Space Kickstarter, is more concerned about warding off hostile invasion forces from beyond our solar system.
The plan is to show invaders that humanity is not to be trifled with. We're not just all hanging around, naked and defenseless. We're angry and dangerous and wouldn't make for a good snack. If the Kickstarter can gather $10,000, then Ridiculo.us will launch a satellite with new illustrations showing a man with a shotgun and a Flying V guitar, and a woman with a Viking hat and nunchucks atop a stack of dead aliens.
The other part of the project involves Kickstarter backers sending photos of their best angry faces into space with the satellite. A $15 pledge gets your photo on a flash drive, while a $25 pledge puts a physical photograph of you onboard. "When the aliens see what a vicious, angry race we are, they're going to pee their space pants," says the project pitch.
Sure, this all sounds like a joke, and it is. But it's also real. If the funding is raised, Ridiculo.us will use a TubeSat Personal Satellite from InterOrbital Systems to get a satellite launched. Sure, those satellites only last a few weeks before burning up on reentry, but that should be enough time for hungry aliens that have been keeping an eye on us to get the message.
