NASA sends the Beatles across the Universe

Advertisement (Why?)

February 4th will mark the first time NASA beams a song directly into deep space. Quite appropriately, the song in question is The Beatles' "Across the Universe". The transmission, which will be sent at 7 p.m. EST, is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song will travel across the universe at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. The transmission over NASA's Deep Space Network will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA's founding and the group's beginnings. February 4 has been declared "Across The Universe Day" by Beatles fans to commemorate the anniversaries. As part of the celebration, the public around the world has been invited to participate in the event by simultaneously playing the song at the same time it is transmitted by NASA.

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney expressed excitement that the tune, which was principally written by fellow Beatle John Lennon, was being beamed into the cosmos: "Amazing! Well done, NASA! Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."

Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, characterized the song's transmission as a significant event: "I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe."

(3 replies) #1 Xsabin on 01 Feb 2008 - 17:43

I hope they paid the proper license fees because this doesn't sound like fair use, more of a public performance. NASA watch out RIAA gonna get you

#1.1 exotoxic on 01 Feb 2008 - 17:45

(Xsabin said @ #1)

LOL as soon as ai saw the article i thought of this... you just beat me to posting it :p

#1.2 +CelticWhisper on 01 Feb 2008 - 17:50

Yeah, just let them mess with the one organization who really can shoot their greedy corporate asses into outer space.

Passenger manifest: Cary Sherman. Next stop: Sun.

#1.3 n301 on 01 Feb 2008 - 18:58

boo you beat me to it

(2 replies) #2 nekrosoft13 on 01 Feb 2008 - 17:53

What if some hostile alien races hears that horrible song, and decides to invade us.

#2.1 n_K on 01 Feb 2008 - 17:57

(nekrosoft13 said @ #2)

If they killed the RIAA / MPAA, I really wouldn't care ;D

#2.2 +Lt-DavidW on 01 Feb 2008 - 18:00

The human race will be extinct by 2870.

That, or we'll have already met the aliens by then in our starships.

(1 reply) #3 +Lt-DavidW on 01 Feb 2008 - 18:01

How will the aliens know what codec to use?

#3.1 GShapiro on 01 Feb 2008 - 18:10

(Lt-DavidW said @ #3)

By using an Alienware computer of course.

(1 reply) #4 Cøbra on 01 Feb 2008 - 18:27

I hope the RIAA sues all alien life forms that listen to the song.

#4.1 darkpuma on 01 Feb 2008 - 21:06

well it IS pretty much a guarantee

with any luck the angry aliens will come bomb the **** out of them

#5 Hell-In-A-Handbasket on 01 Feb 2008 - 18:27

And we still have yet to see Beatles on iTunes

also

RIAA Sues North Star for Copyright Infringement in latest P2P Lawsuit

as Technically the North Star Downloaded the Beatles Song from NASA

(2 replies) #6 Dakkaroth on 01 Feb 2008 - 18:31

Aliens don't want this ****. They want the Beastie Boys.

#6.1 RAID 0 on 01 Feb 2008 - 20:01

Perhaps Love and Rockets?

#6.2 Angel Blue01 on 03 Feb 2008 - 16:24

Jefferson Starship!

#7 zeta_immersion on 01 Feb 2008 - 19:16

what if the song (vibrations as it may be) is fatal to their species and the few that survive will trace it to earth and will incinerate it ... moreover since it is a digital signal RIAA will actually sue 6 billioin people which with the aid of some crazy XM radio antena or whatever got the signal and made a 500kbps rip and put it on kazaa therefore resurecting new p2p sft and comunity.

#8 Doli on 01 Feb 2008 - 19:21

Bad things will happen soon.

#9 CFer on 01 Feb 2008 - 20:10

you guys are creative.

Cheers to War of the Worlds.

#10 hotdog963al on 01 Feb 2008 - 20:14

*Fires up uTorrent!*
I think we should play Slayer through space but what the hell

#11 Galley on 01 Feb 2008 - 20:16

And the film, "Across The Universe" just happens to be coming out on DVD and BD next week. There's even a banner ad at the top of this page. Hmmm...

#12 ripgut on 01 Feb 2008 - 21:27

186,000 mps = speed of light.... so it will take about 430 ± 30 to reach it.

#13 mcloum on 01 Feb 2008 - 21:43

"YoKo"

"I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe."

Yeah you really are as batty as you seem to be! She really expects someone to reply anytime soon?

Lets all share songs with faceless recipients across great distances, that'll catch on.......wait!

I can see a RIAA worker having cold sweets right now thinking of all the extra paperwork they'll have to do.....wonder how much it would cost to send a subpoena to the north star?

#14 Skyfrog on 01 Feb 2008 - 22:03

Fine with me as long as they send Yoko too.

(3 replies) #15 Gotenks98 on 01 Feb 2008 - 22:26

If they got time to waste tax payer's money on this then they got money to fund research for aids or cancer. At this point in time space exploration is a huge waste. Hell we cant even get along with one another when it comes to race and religions, just what do they expect to do if we actually contact other life out there.

#15.1 Skyfrog on 01 Feb 2008 - 22:36

This old argument again? Do you know what the budget is for NASA compared to other things, it's miniscule. Besides that I do not consider it a waste at all, in fact I think they are badly underfunded. Oh and that money they spend on it goes into the economy, it provides a lot of jobs and we get a lot of knowledge and nifty new inventions in return. It's not like they are sending the money out into space. If you want to talk about misuse of tax payer money there are plenty of other places you can start looking.

As for this particular story, you make it sound like beaming a radio signal into space costs a ton of money.

#15.2 n_K on 01 Feb 2008 - 23:56

(Skyfrog said @ #15.1)

As for this particular story, you make it sound like beaming a radio signal into space costs a ton of money.

If you account for building the machinery, using it for 10 years non-stop and having to maintain it for those years and including all power and LIAA (changed record to something else) costs then yes it probably would actually

#15.3 Skyfrog on 02 Feb 2008 - 00:07

I meant sending this Beatles thing out doesn't cost a ton of money. The equipment is used for other more important things too.

(1 reply) #16 |Rapture| on 02 Feb 2008 - 00:09

Beats Adolf Hitler.

#16.1 QuarterSwede on 02 Feb 2008 - 22:35

I see someone's been watching Contact.

#17 tele-fragd on 02 Feb 2008 - 03:06

Intragalactic P2P?

(1 reply) #18 naap51stang on 02 Feb 2008 - 04:54

Your tax dollars at work.
This is about the STUPIDEST thing I've heard of.

#18.1 Skyfrog on 02 Feb 2008 - 13:10

Oh I know, it might have cost each of us almost a penny! I'm going to go cry.

#19 +The Cub on 02 Feb 2008 - 16:03

They've probably already got it in .flac

They = the aliens

Quick, somebody file a law suite.

#20 The Walker on 02 Feb 2008 - 18:15

Should have been 'Daft Punk.. Around the World'.

#21 Shiranui on 04 Feb 2008 - 03:20

I wish they'd send the Beatles entire catalogue into space, then I would never have to hear them again.

#22 ZombieFly on 04 Feb 2008 - 11:58

breaking news: the RIAA sue NASA for illegal file sharing with intergalactic grandma, age 843

#23 Hool on 05 Feb 2008 - 02:02

This is great! Included a movie with same name too.

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!

Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.

Neowin.net