Sky Wink
The " Meridian overflight " experience
by Philippe Coué
I’ve been wanting to tell this story for a long time. It’s the story of a kid who, at the turn of the 1970s/1980s, made the crazy bet of lighting up meridians to show the cosmos a sign of our intelligence. This challenge mobilized thousands of people 40 years ago, on the ninth flight of the space shuttle (Columbia / STS-9) ...
This book explains how the project was conceived, then formalized, and describes in detail its preparation during the summer and autumn of 1983. It also includes a chapter on meridian markers and their observation from the shuttle’s flight deck.
The experiment is then analyzed in the light of the space context of 2024 and the activities currently underway to search for life in the Universe. We also recall all the “”bottles to the sea“” that have been launched towards infinity to signal our existence in the galaxy. Finally, we look at the feasibility of recreating an “earth beacon”.
144 pages - A5
Printed edition : 29 € (plus shipping)
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