Hi Caroline Robinson ~
Here are some of the more well-known projects in the search for extra
terrestrial intelligence (SETI):
1. The SETI Institute
======================
I think the most well-known research for extra-terrestrial life is
that being funded or conducted by the SETI Institute, whose mission is
to "explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence
of life in the universe."
- http://www.seti-inst.edu/
Incorporated in 1984, the purpose of the Institute, as defined at that
time and still true today, is to
"conduct scientific research and educational projects
relevant to the origin, nature, prevalence, and distri-
bution of life in the universe. This work includes two
primary research areas: 1) SETI, and 2) Life in the
Universe. Concurrent with its research focus, the
Institute strives to contribute to both formal and
informal science education related to these fields of
interest. Over its eighteen year history, the Institute
has administered over $150 million of funded research."
[From SETI's History Page]
- http://www.seti-inst.edu/about_us/institute_history.html
Next month, The SETI Institute plans to take the first three dishes of
the Allen Telescope Array in Northern California online in a targeted
search within the Milky Way. Information and a photo of the first
three dishes can be found on Sky & Telescope's article, "The Allen
Telescope Array: SETI's Next Big Step" online here:
- http://skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/article_253_1.asp
2. UC Berkeley's SETI Program, SERENDIP
========================================
SERENDIP (Search for Extraterrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby
Developed Intelligent Populations) is an ongoing scientific research
effort aimed at detecting radio signals from extraterrestrial
civilizations.
"The project is the world's only "piggyback" SETI
system, operating alongside simultaneously conducted
conventional radio astronomy observations."
[From SERENDIP website]
- http://seti.ssl.berkeley.edu/serendip/serendip.html
The site is undergoing major reconstruction, but the old site can be
viewed from here:
- http://seti.berkeley.edu/serendip/oldindex.html
3. The Targeted Optical SETI at Harvard / Smithsonian
======================================================
Unlike those studies relying on narrow band radio signals, this
project is based at Harvard University and Oak Ridge Observatory and
is used to detect a pulsed laser beacon signal.
Referred to as OSETI (for optical), information on this project can be found here:
- http://seti.harvard.edu/oseti/targeted/
Those are the major SETI studies currently active and in place, but it
should be noted that The SETI Institute funds many experiements and
studies ongoing which come under the wings of and often piggyback on
ongoing searches. Some of those are:
A. Project Phoenix
====================
Project Phoenix is the continuation of a failed SETI search designed
by NASA and canceled by Congress in 1993. The SETI Institute secured
the equipment to continue the targeted search that already had 58
million government dollars invested in it.
"Project Phoenix is "targeted search", performing sensitive
examinations of relatively few targets (1,000 mostly sun-
like stars, closer than 200 light-years and older than
three billion years, as well as all other closest stars
regardless of their type)."
[From "S.E.T.I.: The Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence" by Dustin Gebhard, 6/24/02]
- http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses02/PapersMarineEcologyArticles/S.E.T.I..TheSearchforExtr.html
More information on Project Phoenix can be found in Sky&Telescope online here:
- http://skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/article_248_2.asp
B. SERENDIP4
===============
Serendip4 is suspended high above the Arecibo dish with multiple other
receivers. The program scans for narrowband signals wherever the dish
is aimed by its controlling radio astronomers involved in other
research. A photo of the dish and information on the Arecibo project
can be found here:
- http://skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/article_248_3.asp
SERENDIP4 instruments are used by the Australian SETI group at the
Parkes telescope, the Italian SETI group at the Medicina Observatory,
and OSU is using a four million channel version of the program for
SETI research at the OSU radio Observatory.
C.SETI@Home
============
SETI@home is an extension of Project SERENDIP. Created in 1998, this
project allows volunteers to use their home PC to analyze the SETI
radio data. It works by installing itself as your computer's default
screensaver. When the computer is not in use, the program fetches a
350 kb file of data, a "work unit", recorded by the SERENDIP receiver.
More information about the SETI#Home Project can be found here:
- http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
Also The Planetary Society - "New and Improved SETI@home will Form the
Backbone of Distributed Computing Network" (in conjunction Berkeley
Open Infrastructure for Network Computing)
- http://www.planetary.org/html/UPDATES/seti/SETI@home/Update_092503.html
Additional Resources:
======================
The Planetary Society - SETI
- http://www.planetary.org/html/UPDATES/seti/index.html
The SETI League - Comparing five current projects
- http://www.setileague.org/general/compare.htm
Space.com - SETI: Search for Life
- http://www.space.com/searchforlife/index.html
Sky & Telescope - SETI: Searching for Life
- http://skyandtelescope.com/resources/SETI/default.asp
Search Technologies:
====================
- search extraterrestrial intelligence
- SETI
- current SETI projects
What an interesting question about a very interesting topic. Thanks
for asking, because the information and scope is fascinating.
Regards,
Serenata
Google Answers Researcher |
