NASA remotely reprogramming Voyager 1 also means that aliens can reprogram all of our satellites.
By extension that means we can also reprogram alien satellites and probes. So why aren’t we??
Jeff Goldblum can upload a virus to take out an entire alien spacecraft. Probes are a piece of cake.
At least in the space odyssey series they had a weird kind of explanation for that approach. Unlike in Independence Day
Actually in ID4 there was an explanation. Basically all of humanity’s computer tech came from reverse engineering alien tech. So our computers worked with theirs because they were based on theirs. Maybe this isn’t this best logic, but they did at least have an in universe explanation.
They should make a Star Trek movie about this!
Oh, wait…
And can even view Lemmy on it!
This is assuming that they would know and understand the code. Also, that nothing is encrypted but I guess encryption can be broken.
I would doubt they would have encrypted anything on the probe back in 1977 when it launched.
The ultimate security by obscurity. Do you have a 30m antenna? Can you point it exactly at the space ship with almost no error? Do you know what it’s code and protocols are? OK, please reprogram Voyager
OP says reprogram all of the satellites. So I would assume that would include the modern ones with encryption as well.
I cannot confirm or deny any such arrangement exists with an existing alien species.
I would guess not. Any authentication scheme would just be another risk point to not be able to talk to the thing from earth.
But I’m just guessing.
I mean, sure, technically. They’d have to know English, know the programming language that was used for the probe, know the transmission frequency that the probe accepts, know the boundaries and limitations of the probe so that they don’t actually force any errors, and presumably would need to crack the encryption preventing anyone else from reprogramming Voyager 1. They’d also either need to be able to generate incredibly strong radio waves through space in order to transmit their code, or they’d need to be close enough to us that we’d be able to detect their presence.
While that’s all technically possible, the odds of it happening are pretty low.
Crack encryption from the mid 70’s? If there even is any on the Voyager command signal, I couldn’t find a reference to any. But if there is, I’d think modern computers are up to the task.
They’d also either need to be able to generate incredibly strong radio waves through space
My guess is that THIS is the actual security feature.
Not to mention… who would even want to? There’s nothing to gain except slight infamy, if you could even prove you were behind it.
Yes, one entity being able to reprogram one piece of tech definitely means another entity is able to reprogram every other piece of tech that is slightly related.
