This is my uh, transmitter.
Maybe it's something you can use. I don't know.
(BEEPING SOUNDS)
(MORSE CODE BEEPING SOUND)
The HI JUNO experiment is something that
a group of us came up with.
The biggest challenge we had was we didn't know if this was going to work or not.
If it works, you know, I'm a part of history. (laughs)
MALE VOICE: This is W6-JPL, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena California.
Hello C-Q.
C-Q. C-Q.
(MUSIC)
The Earth fly-by
is Juno's way of gaining some extra speed, changing direction
so that its orbit
can take it to Jupiter.
We said, 'What if
we actually sent something to Juno?'
Basically came up with the idea
that we could send morse code to Juno.
Enlist in the support of amateur radio operators
around the world.
So the intent is to join the amateur radio community together
in a coordinated transmission
from Earth
to the Juno Spacecraft as it flies by.
The website would tell them 'Ok, key down now.'
'Key up. Transmit for 30 seconds.'
And that's how we would send a 'dit.'
Everybody knows that morse code is 'Dit-dit-dit-dit-dah-dah'
Well it turns out to say 'Hi' to Juno
it takes 4 'dits'
and a space
and then 2 dits for the 'I.'
ANOTHER MAN: I thought, 'Wow. That's a neat thing to do and
they're gonna need alot of people to pull this thing off.'
I said, 'I'm good to go.'
MAN: We're getting ready right now. Here we go!
DIGITAL RINGING SOUND
STUDENT: And now we are transmitting here.
They could hear HAM radio operators,
all over the world doing this.
Which was really remarkable.
Everybody's doing this at the same time.
Thousands and thousands of HAMS.
With any luck, the Juno spacecraft will be able to listen and hear
all these amateur radio transmissions.
And so what we're doing now is
we're looking at the data that's come down,
see if we can put together that signal that says 'Hi!'
Will it work? Who knows.
MAN OFF SCREEN: We have the audio from Juno.
I'd love for you to listen to it.
STUDENT: Whoa, this is it.
MORSE CODE BEEPING SOUND (Repeated)
MAN: This sounds very cool!
MORSE CODE BEEPING SOUND (Repeated)
It actually worked and it heard us.
When you think about what it is, it was really really amazing.
How many times do you get to say hi to a space craft as it's swinging by your planet.
To be a part of it... it was very great.
More than thinking about what it means to me,
it's just such a great thing that human kind has the
ability to think beyond
our own environment. It's the curiosity.
It's the adventuring spirit I think
that the space program has given us.
Hi Juno!
Hi Juno! Goodbye. Thank you!
(LAUGHS)
Ok, take 17.