
The Secret Message in the Parachute of Mars Rover Perseverance Decoded23.02.2021
Little can sneak past amateur codebreakers nowadays—moments after pictures of the Perseverance rover landing were posted online, Internet sleuths quickly discovered details that went unnoticed by casual onlookers.
Much of the public’s attention was drawn by the unusual pattern of red and white stripes that adorned the canopy of the parachute deployed by the landing rover. Online detectives quickly deduced they stripes make up a string of numbers that, assuming that red means one and white means zero, can be translated into letters. First, they have to be split into ten-digit chunks. Then, adding 64 gives you a number in the seven-bit ASCII code.
In ASCII, numbers from 0 to 127 represent specific characters, not only Latin alphabet letters but also numbers, punctuation marks, and other symbols. For example, the first letter of the decoded message, “D” comes from the digits 0000000100, plus the number 64. How? Well, the ten-digit string is binary for 4. Adding 64 gives us 68, which, if you look it up in an ASCII reference table, is the code for the letter “D.”
Using this algorithm on the entire canopy produces the message “Dare mighty things,” which, at first glance, resembles the popular saying “Fortune favors the bold.” The phrase, however, resonates particularly strongly with Americans, as it comes from an 1899 speech given by future president Theodore Roosevelt. In the address, Roosevelt sang the praises of those unafraid of adversity and those ready to work hard and make sacrifices.
see also
- Kieran Stringfellow, the director of “Bulldog”: Filmmaking is one of the hardest forms of creativity Papaya Rocks Film Festival
People
Kieran Stringfellow, the director of “Bulldog”: Filmmaking is one of the hardest forms of creativity
- Popular Coffee Species Facing Extinction
News
Popular Coffee Species Facing Extinction
- "Skate Story": See the Trailer for the Psychedelic Skating Simulator
News
"Skate Story": See the Trailer for the Psychedelic Skating Simulator
- Top Jazz Artist in America Today? Jeff Goldblum
News
Top Jazz Artist in America Today? Jeff Goldblum
discover playlists
-
05
-
Papaya Young Directors 7 #MASTERTALKS
18
Papaya Young Directors 7 #MASTERTALKS
-
Paul Thomas Anderson
02
Paul Thomas Anderson
-
Martin Scorsese
03
Martin Scorsese