- What is Beam Me to Mars all about?
- How will the messages be sent to Mars?
- What sort of transmitter will be used to send the Beam Me messages?
- Where on Mars will the messages go?
- Will anyone on Earth see my message or image before it is sent to Mars?
- Will my message be posted online? Who can see my messages?
- How can I let someone know I have sent a message to Mars as their gift?
- How will I know that my message was transmitted?
- Are there any messages and images that will be considered inappropriate for transmission?
- What is the review process for messages and images?
- Can I make changes to my message or picture once it is submitted?
- Will anyone or anything on Mars receive the messages?
- What kinds of messages can I send?
- What do the messages charges pay for?
- Do the messages sent to Mars all land there, or do they also bounce back to Earth?
- Why is the launching of Mariner 4 so important to Mars exploration?
- How can I help spread the word about Beam Me?
- I would like to write about this project; who should I contact to set up an interview and/or get more details?
- What is Beam Me to Mars all about?
- Beam Me To Mars is the first ever opportunity for the people of Earth to send messages and pictures to Mars! It celebrates the 50th launch anniversary of the first successful mission to Mars—NASA’s Mariner 4 on November 28th 1964.
- How will the messages be sent to Mars?
- Uwingu’s Beam Me transmission will be sent by our partner, Universal Space Network, at a rate of 1 million bits per second—and they will travel at the speed of light. Mariner 4 took almost 8 months to reach Mars in 1964-1965, but your 21st century messages will arrive just 15 minutes after they are sent—nothing like it has ever been possible before for the public.
- What sort of transmitter will be used to send the Beam Me messages?
- We’re using high-powered commercial transmitters owned by Universal Space Network (USN), a company that communicates with spacecraft in Earth orbit every day. They will transmit the Beam Me messages from antennas in Hawaii, Alaska, and Australia. Learn more about USN at http://www.sscspace.com/universalspacenetwork.
- Where on Mars will the messages go?
- The radio beam from Earth will spread out to encompass all of Mars.
- Will anyone on Earth see my message or image before it is sent to Mars?
- It’s up to you. If your message is private, no one will see it; but if you choose to make it public, then as soon as your message is paid for, it’s posted to our Beam Me to Mars public database where anyone can view it or share it via their social networks.
- Will my message be posted online? Who can see my messages?
- It’s up to you. If your message is private, no one will see it; but if you choose to make it public, then as soon as your message is paid for, it’s posted to our Beam Me to Mars public database where anyone can view it or share it via their social networks. And you can share your favorites and help spread the word!
- How can I let someone know I have sent a message to Mars as their gift?
- You can email them the Beam Me To Mars message certificate you receive, or you can share it on your or their social networks.
- How will I know that my message was transmitted?
- Uwingu will release regular transmission reports on November 28th, summarizing which messages have been sent.
- Are there any messages and images that will be considered inappropriate for transmission?
- Yes, any message that contains profane, insulting, offensive, or vulgar contents is considered inappropriate. Uwingu retains the right to remove from its websites and databases and not transmit any offensive, vulgar, insulting, or otherwise pejorative message content, as well as any message we believe might violate or infringe the publicity, personality, privacy, likeness, copyright, trademark, or similar rights of any person or entity, at our sole discretion, without refund and without prior notice.
- What is the review process for messages and images?
- Uwingu will review all submitted messages. Uwingu also lets the public report inappropriate messages to us.
- Can I make changes to my message or picture once it is submitted?
- No, message contents are final once payment is made.
- Will anyone or anything on Mars receive the messages?
- Though no one is on Mars yet to receive the messages, here on Earth people will hear them loud and clear! The entire Beam Me message archive will be searchable from our web site by anyone with access to the Internet. And all messages can be socially shared with friends, relatives, anyone in your social networks. Moreover, all Beam Me names and public messages will be delivered by hand to Congress, to NASA, and to the United Nations on November 28—delivering your message to them the same day it reaches Mars.
- What kinds of messages can I send?
- You can just send your name, or you can include a text message or a picture, or both. You can send as many messages as you like—there is no limit.
- What do the messages charges pay for?
- Half of the money will go towards The Uwingu Fund that creates space research and education grants. The rest pays for transmission costs to Mars, our internet services, Uwingu product development and Uwingu business operations.
- Do the messages sent to Mars all land there, or do they also bounce back to Earth?
- All the messages will land on Mars. Some of the radio waves will also spread around Mars and fly out of our solar system into interstellar space. Others will reflect off Mars back toward Earth where they will return 30 minutes after being launched!
- Why is the launching of Mariner 4 so important to Mars exploration?
- Mariner 4 was a landmark mission of planetary exploration because it opened up the exploration of Mars for the first time. It discovered major differences between what the Mars scientists expected and the real planet—which had never before been visited. It was also the first mission to return images from another planet.
- How can I help spread the word about Beam Me?
- You can tell your friends, colleagues, and relatives by word of mouth, email, and your social networks. You can share your messages the same way, and you can tell local reporters and bloggers about Beam Me To Mars and why you think it’s cool.
- I would like to write about this project; who should I contact to set up an interview and/or get more details?
- Contact our media team at media@uwingu.com.