“Okay, that’s pretty convincing. It’s not down here on Earth, and it probably isn’t from an artificial satellite in a Molniya orbit, although we should check that. When you get a chance, Willie, call up NORAD and see what they say about the satellite possibility. If we can exclude satellites, that will leave two possibilities: It’s a hoax, or somebody has finally gotten around to sending us a message. Steve, do a manual override. Check a few individual radio telescopes—the signal strength is certainly large enough—and see if there’s any chance this is a hoax; you know, a practical joke by
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