NASA Perseverance Parachute Code

parachute.py

"""Perseverence Parachute Cipher Python Solution
In Press:
* https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/science/nasa-mars-parachute-code.html
* https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/feb/23/dare-mighty-things-hidden-message-found-on-nasa-mars-rover-parachute
* https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2021/march/mars-rover-code.html

Output:
DARE¿¿¿¿
MIGHTY¿¿
THINGS¿¿
34°11'58'' N 14°118'10'' W
"""

def bit2int_arr(msg):
    rslt = []
    while len(msg) > 0:
        msg = msg[3:]                 # Skip the first 3 characters (padding)
        rslt.append(int(msg[:7], 2))  # Convert the binary string to an integer
        msg = msg[7:]                 # Skip 7 characters (we just read this char)
    return rslt


def intarr2str(msg):
    return "".join([chr(i+64) for i in msg])  # Add 64 (ASCII offset)


def solve():
    msg = [
        # inner ring (starts at n=1)
        "00000001000000000001000001001000000001010001111111111111111111111111111111111111",
        # middle ring 1 (starts at n=41)
        "00000011010000001001000000011100000010000000010100000001100100011111111111111111",
        # middle ring 2 (starts at n=21)
        "00000101000000001000000000100100000011100000000111000001001100011111111111111111",
    ]
    # outer ring (starts at n=76)
    outer = "00001000100000001011000011101000000011100001110110000000101000000111110000010111"
    for m in msg:
        print(intarr2str(bit2int_arr(m)))
    coords = bit2int_arr(outer)
    degrees = u"\N{DEGREE SIGN}"
    print(
        f"{coords[0]}{degrees}"
        f"{coords[1]}'"
        f"{coords[2]}'' "
        f"{chr(coords[3]+64)} "
        f"{coords[4]}{degrees}"
        f"{coords[5]}'"
        f"{coords[6]}'' "
        f"{chr(coords[7]+64)}"
    )


if __name__ == "__main__":
    """
    Original Code by /u/rdtwt1
    Outer Ring Solved by /u/tend0g
    Comments + Updated Code by /u/adithyabsk
    https://www.reddit.com/r/nasa/comments/lpy2fa/does_the_parachute_for_perseverance_have_some/goedts0/
    """
    solve()