The message received by Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster), when finally decoded, gives detailed instructions on how to build a vast, mysterious alien machine. It is massive, and building it will cost hundreds of billions of dollars -- "the economic equivalent of going to war," according to one character in the film. Would we build such a machine, and have the faith to use it? The images below are preliminary design sketches and computer renderings of the device and its surroundings from Contact.

©1997 Warner Bros.