SETI is the search for extraterrestrial life by studying and watching the stars. Perhaps frivolous in the current economy but extremely important if contact is ever made. After hitting its $200,000 fundraising goal on 3 August, SETI announced that it will be putting its iconic Allen Telescope Array (ATA) back online after a 4-month hiatus. The nonprofit SETI Institute announced on April 22 grants from the University of California, Berkeley, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and others had run out and that SETI could no longer afford to operate the 42 radio telescopes that make up ATA. While some UC Berkeley scientists were laid off, others were not idle. They were kept at work analyzing the data they had. In the meantime, on a donation site, SETIstars.org, alien lovers pleaded with donors across the world to bring ATA out of hibernation and keep the search going. The gifts poured in from "around the globe, literally from everywhere that had an Internet connection.
SETI is the search for extraterrestrial life by studying and watching the stars. Perhaps frivolous in the current economy but extremely important if contact is ever made. After hitting its $200,000 fundraising goal on 3 August, SETI announced that it will be putting its iconic Allen Telescope Array (ATA) back online after a 4-month hiatus. The nonprofit SETI Institute announced on April 22 grants from the University of California, Berkeley, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and others had run out and that SETI could no longer afford to operate the 42 radio telescopes that make up ATA. While some UC Berkeley scientists were laid off, others were not idle. They were kept at work analyzing the data they had. In the meantime, on a donation site, SETIstars.org, alien lovers pleaded with donors across the world to bring ATA out of hibernation and keep the search going. The gifts poured in from "around the globe, literally from everywhere that had an Internet connection.
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The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life on other planets. For example, electromagnetic radiation is monitored for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other worlds. The United States government contributed to early SETI projects, but recent work has been primarily funded by private sources.
There are great challenges in searching across the cosmos for a first transmission that could be characterized as intelligent, since its direction, spectrum and method of communication are all unknown beforehand. SETI projects necessarily make assumptions to narrow the search, the foremost being that electromagnetic radiation would be a medium of communication for advanced extraterrestrial life.
SETI still faces a challenge in keeping operating: $200,000 is nowhere near enough to keep SETI operating for long. UC Berkeley has no immediate plans to renew funding. With that crucial support gone, SETI is talking to the U.S. Air Force and other potential sources of funding. This summer's $200,000 fundraising helps but is not enough for any long term effort.
For further information: http://www.seti.org/
