Abstract The only practical way we know now to actively test the hypothesis that life exists outside the Solar System, depends on an intelligent fraction of that life providing an electromagnetic signature we can recognize over interstellar distances. The nature of the local universe, a relatively mature microwave technology, recent digital solid state developments, and a minimal number of ad hoc assumptions, suggest a promising set of initial strategies of exploration for a range of possible electromagnetic artifacts. As a consequence, the Ames Research Center (ARC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are pursuing a moderately broad program using existing radiotelescopes and automated, state-of-the-art electronics, with the objective simply to detect and identify a relatively strong, relatively narrowband, essentially steady, intelligent, non-human, microwave signal. There are two main parts to this approach. In a companion paper, R. E. Edelson (JPL) discusses a survey over 80% of the sky in the 1–25 GHz band, with a frequency resolution of ∼ 300 Hz and to a sensitivity in the range of 10−19 to 10−21 W/m2. The second half of the approach (ARC) discussed here, is a study primarily of neighboring F,G,K, “target” stars in the 1.4–1.7 GHz band, with a frequency resolution of ∼ 1 Hz and to a sensitivity of 10−25 to 10−27 W/m2. Whether or not a detection is achieved, the combined approaches should reduce our present uncertainties by many orders of magnitude, as well as provide valuable astrophysical information.


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    Title :

    Strategic considerations in SETI, and a microwave approach


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Acta Astronautica ; 6 , 1-2 ; 105-127


    Publication date :

    1979-01-01


    Size :

    23 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




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