LEXINGTON, Ky. A Kentucky city has launched an extraordinary campaign to boost tourism, using an infrared laser to transmit a message into space to invite extraterrestrial travelers.
“The first thing you’ll notice as you descend through Earth’s atmosphere above Central Kentucky is the lush green countryside that surrounds Lexington’s vibrant city center. That’s our famous bluegrass,” the message begins. It goes on to describe gentle rolling hills, horse farms, and bourbon before suggesting places to stay, eat, and shop.
The idea for this unique campaign stemmed from recent UFO revelations and advancements in deep space imaging, fueling the belief that we are not alone in the universe, as announced by the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau in a statement this month.
The agency collaborated with scientists and scholars to beam the message towards potentially habitable planets in the TRAPPIST-1 solar system, located 40 light years away.
Leading the effort was Lexington native Robert Lodder, an expert in computer engineering, astrobiology, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. “We brought together experts in engineering, linguistics, digital media, philosophy, and science fiction to design, debate, and transmit this message,” he said in the statement.
The message was sent with FAA approval and includes a coded bitmap image. “The bitmap image is the key to it all,” linguistics expert Dr. Andrew Byrd explained. “We included imagery representing the elements of life, our iconic Lexington rolling hills, and the molecular structure for water, bourbon, and even dopamine … because Lexington is fun!”
However, patience is required for any potential response. The agency estimates it will take 40 years to reach its intended target and possibly another 40 to receive any response.
In the meantime, the agency extends an invitation to earthly travelers to visit Lexington.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
