Summer 2004 Issue

Confirmed reception of a minimum of five radio sources from beyond the Earth’s atmosphere can qualify you for membership in the Extra-Terrestrial Century Club.
Endorsements are issued for additional detections, up to a maximum of 100.

DR. SETI’s STARSHIP

 By Dr. H. Paul Shuch,* N6TX

Worked All Worlds

Are you getting bored yet? I sure am! We’ve been searching for extraterrestrial radio signals for nearly half a century now, and so far, no success. (Okay, well maybe not you and I personally, but for that long, as a civilization, Earth has pursued the science of SETI, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, and still no confirmed reception.) Hams have been engaged in the search since the inception of SETI, and hams are notoriously impatient. How do we hold their interest through what might well prove to be a multi-generational endeavor?

The problem is that SETI offers little to those who demand instant gratification. After all, it has been maybe 12 or 15 thousand million years since the Big Bang, the explosion that many of us believe formed the universe. Our Sun was formed perhaps 5 thousand million years ago, the Earth was formed shortly thereafter, microbial life emerged 3 billion years back, and humans came into being just yesterday on the cosmic clock.

What of our ability to communicate across the cosmos using photons, the fastest spaceships known to man? We have had the necessary technology for less than the blink of an eye. So how long should it take to detect our cosmic companions? No one can say for sure, but it’s safe to guess it probably won’t happen tomorrow.

We in The SETI League, however, are asking radio amateurs to build sensitive microwave receiving stations, point their antennas at the stars, and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait.

So far the bands are dead. No wonder we’re getting bored. SETI’s only hope of holding your interest (and mine) is to establish a program of on-the-air activities, competitions, and awards. When you’re huffing and puffing and running toward the goal line, perhaps you’ll be less likely to notice that it’s light-years away. In my last installment I told you about The SETI League’s extra-terrestrial QSL card program to acknowledge your reception of radio sources from “beyond.” Today we take the next step.
 

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