Can the ships logs be found on the internet? If so, the model could've manufactured a fake key and corresponding message. I think this is unlikely but should probably still be considered.
Creating a fake key that decodes the original message into a valid result (including matching the ship's arrival time to the day) would be significantly more impressive than just cracking it.
iltk · · focus · HN ↗
binlog · · focus · HN ↗