The search for human life beyond mother earth is one of those endless pursuits that never ceases to fascinate and intrigue we earthlings. So far, however, there’s been a deathly silence from outerspace to all the signals sent so far, but that’s no deterrent to Australian website, Hello From Earth, which today sent off a new signal to a far off planet with text messages from 25,000 people from all over the world.

With the help of NASA and the CSIRO and their joint Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla, Hello From Earth today transmitted a signal containing all of the 25,000 messages to a recently discovered planet, Gliese 581d, which is considered to harbour life.

The transmission was undertaken by Hello From Earth as part of Australia’s National Science Week and the International Year of Astronomy. Prior to today’s transmission from the Tidbinbilla complex, messages sent from around the world were collected on the Hello from Earth website, exported as a text file and sent to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California earlier this week, where it was encoded, packaged and tested.

The Hello From Earth website was established by COSMOS magazine and designed and built by Australian IT services provider, eNerds, who also developed and implemented the backend database technology used to collect and store messages.

eNerds’ managing director, Jamie Warner, said today the company was “pleased to be part of Hello From Earth and to have provided the IT infrastructure to facilitate communication with a planet outside our solar system.”

Mind you, getting a message to Gliese 581d, let alone getting a timely response, or indeed any response at all, requires a hell of a lot of patience, despite Gliese being the closest planet to earth which we’re told can potentially harbour life.

The signal is anticipated to be received on Gliese 581d in 20 years time - by December 2029 to be exact - with a response, if there is indeed life out there, sent back to Earth around 2051. That’s a roundtrip of 42 years, so no need to wait by the phone, or the satellite!

And, what would you say to someone living 20 light years away who probably doesn’t even speak your language. Well, here’s what just a small selection of those 25,000 people who took part in today’s transmission said to the ‘inhabitants’ of Gliese 581d in the messages posted to Hello From Earth:

Stage fright! What do you say in an intergalactic message? Hello? Peace? What's the weather like? Know that we're here, we're waiting. Hear from you soon. Ally
Alexandra Lynch
Brisbane, Australia

Yidigunmardin nuruku yajingewa wuremulu jandange. Our dream, we're telling to them young kids. We're talking all this dream for the future.
Yidumduma Bill Harney
Wardaman people, near Katherine, Australia

As we near the end of our transmission the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex sends its best wishes to Gliese 581d and to all those on Earth whose contribution made this possible.
Dr Miriam Baltuck
Canberra, Australia

if you get this message,I hope I get to meet you.
Stefan
Canberra, Australia

Dear friends! The love of my life, Karina and I, Anastas, want to send you the message of peace and hope. Dare to love and dream BIG!
Anastas
Vladikavkaz, Russia

Hello can you please come and visit us.We need you to halp us from destroying our own Planet.We your guidance on world peace.Also I need a new girlfriend.Help!!
Alan
Bundaberg, Australia

Hello Gliese 581d inhabitant. Can you help us humans travel through space and become smart like you. Please do not eat us we are a friendly race.
Angus Pigott
Canberra, Australia

Hi, Gliese 581d! My nephew - Timofey - is 11 months old, but stil wants to say hi to you! Best regards, Kasteg!
Konstantsin
Minks, Belarus

Hello everybody there. Lots of greetings from the Czech Republic, a small but beautiful country. Come and enjoy our Earth. I hope you will contact us.
Michael Reindl
Liberec, Czech Republic

Australia is the top country to send messages to all you aliens, so that says something!! When you crash and land on Earth, come and visit the Aussies! Vanessa
vanessa