The idea of sending poetry into space is a captivating one, and it's even more intriguing when you consider the potential involvement of an ancient, dormant satellite dish. This dish, affectionately named 'UC10', has been a silent witness to the passage of time since it was installed at the Orroral Valley in the late 1980s. Once a part of NASA's operations, it was later purchased by the University of Canberra (UC) and the Federal Department of Communications for a hefty sum of $750,000. Fast forward to the present, and the dish has been a mere spectator as physics teaching ceased at UC in 2008, leaving it to rust and sway in the wind for nearly two decades.
However, a new lease of life has been breathed into this forgotten satellite dish by the University of Canberra's Faculty of Arts and Design. Associate Professor Alison Wain, who is not an astrophysicist by trade, has taken it upon herself to restore the dish and give it a new purpose. Her vision is to program the dish to 'dance' and beam radio poetry into the vastness of space.
The dish, weighing four tonnes, has been given the name 'UC10' and its atomic clock has been brought back to life. The azimuth motor still functions, and surprisingly, there's minimal corrosion. The concrete pad beneath the pedestal remains stable, providing a solid foundation for this ambitious project.
Professor Wain's goal is to restore the dish's reception capabilities, allowing it to receive signals from satellites and heavenly bodies. Once this is achieved, the transmission capability will be activated, enabling the dish to beam poetry into the cosmos. She envisions a world where people could send their Valentine's messages to the stars, but this raises an intriguing question: if extraterrestrial life exists, how would we make this poetry intelligible to them? Perhaps Morse Code could be the answer.
The project is a collaboration between UC's Arts and Design Faculty and former staff from Tidbinbilla and Molonglo Observatories. The aim is to merge STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) with the arts, encouraging students to think creatively about the dish's potential. By involving primary school children, the project hopes to foster an early appreciation for the intersection of art and science.
The future of UC10 is full of possibilities. It could dance to music or poetry, and the sky is truly the limit. The public is invited to participate in this unique endeavor, with inquiries directed to [email protected]. This project not only brings a dormant piece of technology back to life but also opens up new avenues for artistic expression and scientific exploration.
