The SETI Observer
October 28, 2002
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Dear SETI Enthusiasts:
The weather in Houston was unseasonably chilly during the World Space Congress last week, but the SETI Institute enjoyed a very warm reception in the meeting halls and exhibit floors of the George B. Brown Convention Center.
The international gathering of delegates from all facets of the professional space and aerospace community afforded our scientists the opportunity to meet with peers in the many disciplines that compose space exploration: astronomy, astrochemistry and astrobiology to name but three. The conference also allowed our scientists, education specialists, and me to meet with policy makers, funders, and other top-level administrators in government and private industry. We are pleased with the enthusiastic response for our work.
Results of the ideas exchanged and inspiration sparked at this global gathering will likely resonate through space exploration for years to come. Our science team is returning from Houston with new insights, fresh perspectives and a renewed sense of the significance of our work.
Our interdisciplinary team showcased a broad suite of Institute work to their colleagues during their stay in Houston. Today, I am pleased to showcase a selection of our projects to you, our supporters and friends. I hope you will enjoy this edition of the SETI Observer.
Sincerely,
Thomas Pierson
CEO, SETI Institute
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Voices |
Welcome to Voices, a new feature of the Institute website where you will meet Dr. Peter Backus, Manager of SETI Observing Programs. Right now, Peter and his Project Phoenix colleagues are preparing for the fall 2002 observing session at the world’s largest radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. On November 27, we will witness the debut of the New Search System (NSS) the revolutionary signal detection technology that will replace Phoenix’s NASA-era SETI data processing equipment. Peter eagerly anticipates deployment of the powerful new NSS on the Institute’s Allen Telescope Array, which will geometrically expand the search for intelligent life in the cosmos and allow him more time for something close to his heart, teaching science to the next generation of young people.
In our previous edition of Voices, we featured Dr. Emma Bakes, whose entire laboratory consists of a powerful computer. Inside Emma’s Sun Microsystems workstation, amino acids form in interstellar ice, carbon and other molecular constituents arrange themselves in DNA-like helices, and millions of years pass in the week it takes for a model of Titan’s atmospheric evolution to emerge. Twice monthly, we will introduce you to the people behind the science of the Institute. Learn about our science team and their work as they describe it in their own words.
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Life at the Top of the World |
SETI Institute scientist, Dr. Nathalie Cabrol and her mission team are in Chile studying the life forms residing in a water-filled caldera of a dormant volcano high above the Atacama desert. In this remote and inhospitable terrain, life has adapted to low atmospheric pressures and a constant barrage of high intensity ultra violet light. These extreme conditions present similarities to the Red Planet, a condition that has drawn Mars expert Cabrol and her team to the highest known lake in the world.
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If You Missed Houston... |
The American Astronautical Society (AAS) will hold their 49th National Conference November 19-21, 2002 in the Silicon Valley community of Sunnyvale, California. This year’s theme is "Technologies and Partnerships: Innovations for Space Exploration," and featured speakers include noted cosmologist Paul Davies and Carnegie Institute planet hunters Geoff Marcy, Paul Butler and Debra Fischer. TeamSETI members can attend at the discounted AAS member price (find out how you can join TeamSETI and support the work of the SETI Institute). You can learn more about the meeting and register now at http://www.astronautical.org/.
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SETI Institute in the News |
Our work makes headlines, and we are pleased to showcase stories others have written about our science and our staff. Recent items in the press include World Space Congress coverage of an intriguing paper presented at the Congress by SETI Institute Senior Astronomer, Dr. Seth Shostak. How can we determine the potential impact of a SETI detection? SETI scientists have devised a mathematical tool, modeled after the Torino scale that rates meteor impact severity. Seth uses fictional detections from popular movies to demonstrate the new SETI tool, the Rio Scale.
Institute Director of SETI Research, Dr. Jill Tarter inspires many young people whose career aspirations reach for the stars. Young women in particular find a role model in Jill who is often compared to the brilliant and passionately dedicated character, Ellie Arroway in the movie Contact. November’s Scientific American features an in depth profile of Jill, and we invite you to explore the link to the on-line story.
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Space.com's SETI Thursday |
Both Emma Bakes and Peter Backus are contributors to SPACE.com this month. Emma discusses Titan, Saturn’s moon where complex carbon based chemistry may offer clues to life’s origins in her October 17, SETI Thursday article. This week, Peter offers readers an in depth profile of the New Search System.
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SETI Challenge |
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Be one of the first five to answer the following question correctly and get a cool SETI Institute t-shirt. We'll post the answer in next month's e-newsletter. Choose the phrase that best completes this statement and send your answer to newsletter@seti.org.
The work of Dr. Emma Bakes:
- uses computers to analyze SETI signals
- models complex chemistry in computer simulations that complement the laboratory experiments of her colleagues.
- relies upon convection ovens pre-heated to 350 degrees.
- focuses primarily upon the practice of space medicine.
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Last Month's Challenge: Did you answer correctly? |
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Last month we asked readers to pick the phrase that most accurately completed this statement:
The Licancabur crater:
- is where SETI scientists study ancient Inca communication systems.
- is a convenient site for students to camp while they study volcanoes.
- is an excellent site for studying organisms that live in extreme environments.
- is the future site of a Chilean SETI telescope.
The correct answer is "C"
In response to the large number of “D” answers, Senior Astronomer Seth Shostak notes,
Although Chile has some attractions as the site of a SETI Institute telescope — in particular, the southern hemisphere faces the star-clogged central regions of our galaxy — there are currently no plans to build such an instrument there.
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Watch for another thought provoking question in next month's e-newsletter.
Copyright © 2002, SETI Institute
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Tel: (650) 961-6633 - Fax: (650) 961-7099
Email:newsletter@seti.org
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