UK's children's radio station Fun Kids created a Guinness World Record for the first radio programme beamed into deep space. Titled "Mission Transmission", the programme was sent into space in an attempt "to establish contact with an alien civilization".
The radio programme, which features kids from all over the UK, mixed in with messages from around the world and pop music, took place thanks to a unified effort from the UK and Texas, US, stated the Guinness World Records in its website.
The broadcast was sent as a radio signal with a light wave that takes 1.3 seconds to pass the moon and travels at the speed of light (299,792,458 metres per second).
The radio message, which will stay audible for millions of years, will take 4.2 years to reach our next nearest star, Proxima Centauri, excluding the Sun and 2.5 million years to reach the next galaxy.
The producer of the radio station Adam Stoner said, "Fun Kids is known for being available across the UK but now we can say 'across the universe!"
"We're so delighted to be able to send hundreds of children's voices into space and to make history with our radio programme. Setting a 'first' record is really quite special. It feels amazing to know that, in the same way the voices of our listeners will travel forever through the universe, we'll forever hold that 'first'!" he added.
The First Radio Broadcast to Deep SpaceHere’s the moment @astro_timpeake got it confirmed that Mission Transmission is OFFICIALLY AMAZING (@GWR) pic.twitter.com/GmcJJYxqMO
— Fun Kids Radio (@funkids) February 21, 2022
'Mission Transmission' was beamed out from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, home to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Free from any form of light pollution, a thousand stars shone brightly over the observatory on the evening of the attempt, which took place right on the Prime Meridian line, stated Guinness.
Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said, "The Royal Observatory Greenwich is incredibly excited to be partnering with Fun Kids to send the broadcast out into space."
"Maybe someone many years from now will pick up our broadcast out in space and listen to our message all the way from another solar system!"
