... And a Message From Earth

While scientists debate the existence of the robot vehicle supposedly sending messages from an extraterrestrial civilization, the U.S. is launching a message-bearing spacecraft of its own. Scheduled to blast off this week, a second Pioneer spacecraft will begin the two-year, 620-million-mile journey to the planet Jupiter--and beyond. Pioneer 11 is an almost identical twin of its predecessor, Pioneer 10, which will pass close enough to Jupiter in December to send back pictures and data about the atmosphere, strong magnetic field and puzzling red spot of the giant planet. Because the new craft, like Pioneer 10, may break the sun's gravitational grasp after passing Jupiter and soar out of the solar system, it too has been equipped with a message to any alien civilization that might someday intercept it. Like its twin, Pioneer will carry a plaque showing two humans (a nude male and female) and giving other information--in symbols that NASA hopes are universal--about the ship's origin (TIME, March 6, 1972). Thus any intelligent beings who happen to see the plaque may well understand the message: Pioneer was launched by four-limbed creatures living on a minor planet orbiting an average-size star.

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