# The First Signal (TF//000)

> A fist-sized beacon fragment that still points at a sky it has never seen.

A small, highly detailed test specimen — free. Recover it, print it, and see how the archive prints on your own resin printer before you excavate anything larger.

**Digital STL files. No physical item will be shipped.**

## Specimen facts

- **What is this?**: Digital STL package for resin 3D printing
- **Digital or physical?**: Digital download only — no physical item will be shipped.
- **Files included**: the-first-signal_body.stl; the-first-signal_dish.stl; README-first-signal.txt (print notes and licence)
- **Print size**: 48 × 40 × 62 mm assembled at intended scale
- **Parts**: 2
- **Pre-supported?**: No — unsupported STLs with documented orientation notes. Pre-supported files are planned as a free update.
- **Intended printer**: MSLA/DLP resin printers (small build plates are fine)
- **Skill level**: Beginner
- **Recommended layer height**: 35–50 µm
- **Assembly**: Two parts, single keyed joint. No magnets.
- **Test-print status**: Not yet test printed — files pending final production.
- **Licences**: Personal-use licence (free)
- **File updates**: Delivered by email to the address from your order, at no extra cost.
- **Current version**: v0.9.0

## The discovery

It was catalogued as a mineral concretion for years.

Then a conservator noticed the seam. Concretions do not have seams, and they do not carry a folded antenna dish the size of a thumbnail.

The First Signal is the smallest specimen in the archive and the first one most field members restore. It asks very little of a printer and gives back a surprising amount of surface.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is The First Signal really free?

Yes. You give an email address only so the secure download link can be delivered. Marketing mail is a separate, optional, unchecked choice.

### Is this a physical object?

No. You receive digital STL files to print yourself on a resin 3D printer. No physical item will be shipped.

### Which licence applies to the free specimen?

The personal-use licence: print, paint, display and gift it. Selling prints or sharing the files is not permitted.

---
Canonical page: https://tomorrowsfossils.com/specimens/the-first-signal/
Last updated: 2026-08-31