Happy Birthday to Frank Drake, the astronomer who established a methodology for finding company among the stars. Frank just celebrated his 91st birthday. He hopes that he’ll still be around to witness the first discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence. The chances are good.
Frank’s soft-spoken manner occasionally leads those who meet him to misjudge his knowledge and insight. But he didn’t simply stumble into a whole new experimental realm; his efforts were deliberate and reasoned.
Drake’s first SETI observations didn’t find any aliens. But his scheme is still seen as the best hope to do so, even six decades later.
To celebrate, we are sharing this video recorded live at the Drake Awards on May 6. Host Adam Savage (Mythbusters) introduces Dr. Frank Drake, creator of the Drake Equation.
