There are those who believe that somewhere in the vast blackness of space, about nine billion miles from the Sun, the first human is about to cross the boundary of our Solar System into interstellar space. His body, perfectly preserved, is frozen at –270 degrees C (–454ºF); his tiny capsule has been silently sailing away from the Earth at 18,000 mph (29,000km/h) for the last 45 years. He is the original lost cosmonaut, whose rocket went up and, instead of coming back down, just kept on going.
That’s horrifying. Thankfully, it appears not to be true. It is true that the Soviets covered up tragedies in their space program for many years, including one that cost more than 100 people their lives, but the lost cosmonaut hypothesis seems to be little more than a conspiracy theory. Either way, the story of the real-life DIY listening station is interesting. Fuck yeah, 1960s space hackers! (story via)
Oct 26, 2010