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NSA Alien Message
NSA Alien Message
\
\/0\ "'IV , No.1
UNCLASSIFIED
( IlIdll~,.ili,'Ii
13 UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED ";XTIlAn:IlIlI':STIlI AI.
II. Translates into ~,' "I "'·4; :t' = I I 7; :!' ~:! X ·1; :!' -'.1. \'l'ril\inl:
our previous cunelusions,
I~. 'I'ranslates into :I'~ 4 1-1); a'=:IX:I. Further vNilil·ali"n.
Note: In our culture we use parentheses III Ilwul' dllsl'I~' as,;III'ialed
terms, nnd as II firsl slep il helps,l'ven tlllluj(h il is not lll'I·I'ssarv.'" pUI
in pureuthese», 'I'll dll Sll uunmhiguously, sturt ut IIII' riuht ;ulIl fl'all
left III t he first operntur symbol; put parent lu-ses ahllnl IIII' "lll'ralllr
and the IWII quuutities til ils right. Hepeat unrll nil pair III' pan'nlhl'';I's
contains more than an operator and two quanrifies.
la. Translates intll ., =2"; .J= I 17; ·J·I·I ""ax:l; .1 I I :1', t lu-re-
rllre.1 -, H.
H. We can only introduce parentheses hy assuming I' is an
IIp!'falur. Sll WI' Ill't ~ I'H·I; 4·- PH:.!; I - 1':1:1; and:1 I'li:!. Thus
I' X V = X ,. Y. division,
II). Assurue l/ is an operator, j(ellinj( 'JI~; 112:1; 11:1.1; 11:,11: ,IliIi;
U7B; U2"a' = l/89. The smaller is tirst in each CIISP; Sll perhaps II XY
means X precedes Y or X < Y.
16. The new character (~ must he an operator, Tr:msnilll'd it lliv1's
usQ: 0=1; Q: 1=3; Q: 1=1+1; Q: O=IXI; (~: 2'=2; q: 2··.:!;
'l: H(I = 1) II =21; QIQ: :1=31; Q: 8< 7.
Clearly Q means "the following statement is raise." Then the next III
the last is read "it is false that :I,c:l." 'll. will be translated ;>!.. '1'111'
second new symbol is not clear, except that it is an IIperalllr whose
IIpcrands art! statements, nut quuntities, a BIIlllean operntur.
NII/": (l is all IIpcratllr with IIl1lyIII1C III11'rallll, unary.
17. I'ullinll in parentheses shows Ihllt S is alslI a unarv IIp!'falllr
IIlleralinll III' stutements. Transcribed they art': S: I -- I: S: I· :!:
S: 2,d II; S: I=IXI; S: 0=1-1; S: UI(ti-" I xui II-li,lill:
S: III (I II 12-- 211. II is II111J:1rl.'IIt Ihnl S 1II1'IIIIS "till' fllllllWill1: slall'-
"","1 is I rue" IIr "il is :,sSt'rled 1hal." The next III I lu- lasl IIII';sal:l'
shllws lhal IIXV IIIl'aIlS"X implies V" ur"X is a l'III1M'lflll'III'I' ut Y"
IIr mayln- "X is IlIllil'ally equivalent I" Y."
IH. Dur rule rllr parentheses hrenks down unless 'I' is a difh-rr-ru killd
III'sy IIIhol, 'I'h,'lirsl lIIessal(l' shllws thai 'I' IIIlly he a unurv "llI'ralllr 1111
quuntif ies, su Ihat AT or TA is a quantitv, The third IIIl';SIIj!" shll w;
thaI it musl helhefirst.sillceTislast.l'lI11illllill part'lIllll';I'S Ihis wav
Ilives 1'1'= I; 2'1'= 1'1'-1-1; liT = 21'+ :1'1'; 6T~: :1'I'x :!T; 7'1'-" 7; urr II.
T'must he all t'lIllinj(. On line dij(il it makes 11f' diffr-n-nre. II rruuhiru-s
the IWII dit(ils III III IIIl1keB. Ol:lal nrirhmeu«?
Ill. Trunseribes III 12:1'1'= I X H' /. I:.! X B'·,· :11;
:121'1'=:lXB'1 12xB' II xB");
4!ili7T .., (-1XH' Il)xH', I (liXIl' I 7xH"1.
ell'arly 'I' illllil,ales Ihal "the IncI'I'dillt( diuits 1111'111 all ",'1011
number." I'IIssihly it is 1111 llel,,1 pili lit ; if so, dit(ils 1I1:1~' "''1' 11' alll'r it.
UNCLASSIFIED 14
1I.1I.I'AMI'AU:NI': UNCLASSIFIED
15 UNCLASSIFIED
I
UNCLASSIFIED ~:XTIlAn:lm.:s-t'IUAI.
UNCLASSIFIED Hi
UNCLASSIFIED
17 UNCLASSIFIED
UNClASSifiED ~:XTHAn;lm~;''iTIIIAI,
, I )/11'
(1-. NV ill.JBV; NLV ,JBVill,II·:V.
UNCLASSifiED 11\
II. II. 1·t\MI'AU;N~: UNCLASSIFIED
19 UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED ~:X·I·IlAn:IUl~SI'llIAI.
-- --
•10; 81", RI." 81... BI.... HI.",.
JO,,, 81." 81." 81... B..... 81."•
..........
r
.10" 25 47 71 72 7:1 74 75 71i 77
IUU 1111 1112 11I:1 104 1115 lUll 1117
1:11 1:12 1:1:1 1:14 1:15 1:lli 1:17
140 141 142
.10" ilL.. Bk." HI.""
.10" BI... 81." HI.",
.10.. BL:1II 81." BI....
.10". BL" HI.,., HI.",
•10,. HI~,. HI... HI.".
•10" HL., Rk.• HI.",
.10", 81... 81... BI.".
,10" BL:.. HI••; Hl.",
JO•• BL.. BL.n HI.""
Rememher lhat these are nllt decimal numbers. There iR IInly line (,ell
with more than one entry, and the subscripts in if in decimal nllialinn
are 21, :19, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,66,67, GH, 6!I, 711, 71, H!l, !ltl,
91,92,9:1,94,95,96,97,98. The larger part or the enlries i!< syslem-
alically distributed in the first eight rows. This SUKllcsls Ibe Ilerilldic
table IIr the chemical elemenls! On cllnsnltinll a table we lind, sure
enllullh, lhal elemenls 57 lhroullh 71 are rare earths, and lire lumlled
into one cell. Slime, hut not all, authorities alsll lilllll!llhfflnllh 10:1 OR
rare .'llrlhs. ":hmlenl!l21 and:1!I are !oM:llndillln lind Yllrillln.
CllAV must mean the lIeriodic tohie.•lIt, means columu x, and .10.
means fflW y. HI.. means element Z. The meoninJ!: IIr KSI'V is nlll
known, ncellt that it is a generalizalion III' "llCriodie Iahle." 11 lIIay
merely mean loble, IIrscientilic fuet, or nniversity subject.
I.llllkinil back liver the exercise we see we hove penetrated the
meaning or the basic symhols, and even more unportant, have learned
slime or the syntax rules or the notation, and have caughl mistakell in
the process. We have a rew words ror sophisticated concepts, and, lliven
more data, with a little labor we could eslahlish ils honslalilln.
The concepts used here are the basic lines Ill" number, sets, 1II1t1
physical constuuts which any cultures mus! share. Hllw hi7.Aue the
sylltliX and values of II culture clluld he I cannot eonjecture, bUI lilly
civilizations callable or IiCndinll a message uerosa space musl bave many
thinlls in cllmmon.
UNCLASSIFIED 2U
II. II.I'AMI·AII;N~: UNCLASSIFIED
AI'I'ENmx
BI'I'I'nll~' it lWril'H ul" rallin lIIeHsRlles was heard l'olllinll from outer
spal"l', Tin' Imnslllissiun was nnl centiuueus, bUI cuI by pauses inlu
pil'l'l'S whirh ....uld hI' taken all units, fur Ihey Wl'fl' repeated over :11111
U\'I'r il~ain. '1'111' II:\III\I.'S show here RS punetuatinn. The VilrillUS combi-
nOli iUIIs hOI\"!' heen represented by lellers or
the alphabet, sn that the
lIIessa~cs can.he written down, Each message except the lirst is gin'n
hl'f(' unly unl'e. The serial number or
the message has been SUPIIlied fur
I'm'h rl'h'f('I\l'e,
21 UNCLASSIFIED
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.- UNCLASSIFIED 22
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23 UNCLASSIFIED