At the event at the Ri a question was put to the floor re "how do we leave information to show that a time capsule has been left on the moon"? He then went on to say that when the Capsule has been placed in the bore hole, what will be the point if no one is aware as to where to find it. I am very interested in peoples thoughts on this. Ii know in the grand scheme of things this is minor although still very important. I do have an idea I wish to share and would welcome all responses. This is what I think. We do not leave any maps or instructions or plans although as suggested we could leave this information in one of the doomsday seed caves. I suggest this. Flat pack a Prism that after the drilling has been completed it can then be deployed from under the Lander and as it drops/falls it will then unfold. One this is done it can either Dangle or stay on the surface and it will not require an internal power source such as a battery or an external power source such as solar panels. The sun will provide all the light that it needs. The idea is for the Prism to cascade light in the way that it does, I know it will not be seen from the earth or from outer space so it will not be any use for the 4th sign, however anyone or anything that was to venture close to or nearby will spot the rainbow of colours emanating from this Prism. Questions would be asked as to what is it? why is it there? what is its purpose? That I believe would be enough for an inquisitive mind to go and find out. To add to this at the side of the lander a Map/Instructions/Description of this mission could be then seen and read and hopefully understood. Sorry for long statement but what do you all think? As for the 4th Sign could a Giant Prism not been sent to Orbit around the moon as such in a vast lager scale that would in essence provide a light source that would not be the same as the surrounding space it is in. Could we get away with that? I wonder. Thank you

Perhaps leaving a plaque next to the borehole like the one left on the Moon by the Apollo site, as well as a low cost radio signal emitting device?

Hi Rob, I think this is a very significant challenge and it's great you've raised it here on the forum.

As I understand it, David Iron was suggesting a grand vision for a sign towards the archive (the 4th sign) so that far future generations, and those perhaps discovering our world from another place, will be able to locate the archive. I'm not sure this is part of the LM1 mission - it might be a separate mission altogether - perhaps someone who attended the event has a better memory than I on this. This is a great example of how the community can be energized further - just think of how your idea could be the one chosen as the final 4th sign project design - that's very exciting and certainly captures my imagination! There were some criteria the proposal had to meet, and I think that's going to form part of an official announcement in due course. Right now it's interesting to discuss some of the possible paths this might take.

I like both yours and Darryl's ideas. When I fist heard David talk about this during the closing stages of the inaugural Lunar Mission One event my head immediately filled with grandiose possibilities - I thought, what if money and practicalities posed no obstacles, what could point towards the archive so that it could easily be recognized. Thoughts of epic structures orbiting above the moon began to form. There are three episodes of Star Trek that imaginatively investigated an archive and how that might be envisioned, from The Excellent Inner Light:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inner_Light_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)

To others like The Chase (another fascinating episode of The Next Generation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chase_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)

And later with Star Trek Voyager's Memorial:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_(Star_Trek:_Voyager)

Thanks goes to my son who helped me with the Star Trek references.

One of the criteria of the LM1 pointer will however be that it is practically feasible for us earthlings with a few less resources, so perhaps you shouldn't get quite so carried away as me

My imagination does get the better of me, however my mind is racing with ideas and I will welcome any one saying anything to help channel my enthusiasm. Thanks again

I must say this does tickle my Fancy! I like the idea of a Newtonian prism shedding light and raising questions in other 'alien' minds!

A few things should be heartening --

Firstly, as far as stable spots go, the Lunar South Pole makes a good place to check for interesting artifacts, over the course of time. (The Lagrange Points would be nice places for mirrors, as would our own poles, to a lesser degree...)

Secondly, it's an interesting design challenge, and one that I think the present world of design is finally up to. Perhaps a marker need only convey a basic binary pattern, and that would be enough for any eventual explorer to dig to the next level. The next level could simply do its best to signal that there was yet another level, and so on, until you reach the archive itself. Perhaps some form of cyclical transmission or beacon is possible.

These are tough challenges for information design, but they're challenges we can at least conceive of. That means perhaps we can meet them.

- Heath