SETI founder wants off-world listening post

[Abyssdnb Profile]

FRANK DRAKE, the founder of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), wants to take the search for aliens further: about 82 billion kilometres away, in fact.

At this point in space, electromagnetic signals from planets orbiting distant stars would be focused by the gravitational lensing effect of our sun, making them, in theory, more easily detected. Drake wants to send spacecraft there in a bid to overhear alien communications, which would be too faint for telescopes on Earth to detect.

It's neither a new or original idea, but it has never taken off because of the distances involved. With existing propulsion technologies, spacecraft would take hundreds of years to make the voyage, which is about 550 times the distance from Earth to the sun.

Gravitational lenses could also be used to transmit signals, amplifying them so they could travel further and potentiallyreach distant civilisations. It's also possible, Drake says, that intelligent civilisations have built an intergalactic internet using such techniques and are just "waiting for us to log on".

Drake spoke last week at the TED 2010 conference in Long Beach, California.

[Nickelson Profile]

COOL! This is what I like to read.

Explore the universe, because WE KNOW we are not alone.

Drake says, that intelligent civilisations have built an intergalactic internet using such techniques and are just "waiting for us to log on".

[Hellspook Profile]

oh, hes the drake who came up with the "Drake equation'

The Drake equation states that:

N = R^{\ast} \times f_p \times n_e \times f_{\ell} \times f_i \times f_c \times L \!

where:

N = the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which communication might be possible;

and

R* = the average rate of star formation per year in our galaxy
fp = the fraction of those stars that have planets
ne = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets
fℓ = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point
fi = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life
fc = the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space
L = the length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space.

hes also the one who came up with the design for the pioneer plaque with Carl Sagan.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/7433 ... quesvg.png

hes also the guy who created the Arecibo message
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/6638/2 ... agesvg.png

pretty cool news.
sorry my image are too wide and im too lazy to reupload em after modifying em.

[Starphazer Profile]

If we know that UFO`s are visiting Earth what do we need Seti for?Is Seti a front for something bigger?

[Shadowkhas Profile]

We should definitely push for this. I like that concept of "waiting for us to log on." Who knows?

[Scoundrel1975 Profile]

COOL! This is what I like to read.

Explore the universe, because WE KNOW we are not alone.

Drake says, that intelligent civilisations have built an intergalactic internet using such techniques and are just "waiting for us to log on".