"MIR, LENIN, SSSR"

An idea to send radar signal with Morse code to the Venus and to receive echo in order to test and to demonstrate the first Evpatoria Planetary Radar (EPR) was suggested and implemented in 1962 by three scientists from Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (IRE RAS), Drs. Vladimir F. Morozov, Oleg N. Rghiga, and Vladimir M. Dubrovin. You see, this transmission was not proper Interstellar Radio Message, but its forerunner.

 

Word MIR (it signifies both "peace" and "world" in Russian) was transmitted from the EPR on 19 November, 1962, and words LENIN and SSSR (the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union) – on 24 November, 1962, respectively. The frequency manipulations was used with deviation of 62.5 Hz both for "dots" and "dashes", the central frequency was 769 MHz, or 39-cm wavelength, continuous power 50 kW. The "dots" had 10-sec duration, the "dashes" - 30 seconds. Thus, the energy per bit was 500 and 1500 kJ, respectively, that is in 11 and 33 times more than for Arecibo Message (450 kW * 0.1 sec = 45 kJ).

 

Unique Korenberg Telescope Array ADU-1000 (8 of 16-m dishes) was used as transmitting and receiving antennas.

 

 

Old (1960) and present photos of transmitting (left) and two receiving (right) Korenberg Telescope Arrays.

 

All Soviet national newspapers informed about Venus radar research and about "MIR, LENIN, SSSR" transmission. Here is the scan of article in "Krasnaia Zvezda" ("Red Star") newspaper:

 

 

 

In 2002 Segey E. Gurianov calculated the November-1962 position of Venus and determined that "MIR, LENIN, SSSR were sent to the direction near the star HD131336 in the Libra constellation.