Titanic Telescope Scans Skies For E.T.

CNET's Daniel Terdiman Visits World's First Large-Scale Telescope Meant For The SETI Project

(CNET)  From the perspective of an extraterrestrial, I wonder if there would be much difference between a human and a deer.

You might think that's an odd question, but on Wednesday, as I stood in an open plain here, at around 5,000 feet, with Mount Shasta visible far off to the north, a stunning blue sky, I watched a deer poking around at the base of what on its own would be an odd piece of astronomy equipment.

In fact, though, the 20-foot-diameter antenna the deer was investigating was just one of 42 identical units that make up the Allen Telescope Array, currently the world's first large-scale telescope meant for the full-time use of the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project.

The ATA, as it's called, opened in late 2007 with these first 42 antennas. Designed to work in pairs, the antennas are intended to work together to mimic the stellar investigatory capacity of far larger single dishes. And the ATA is hardly finished. In fact, it is planned to eventually be made up of 350 of these antennas.

And while the famous Arecibo uber-antenna in Puerto Rico, with its 73,000 square meter size, has seven times the collecting area of the full ATA, the telescope here--the array in its entirety is a telescope--will be able to look at 2,500 times as much sky as Aricebo.

For my visit, resident astronomer Rick Forster took me around, explaining the history of the facility, as well as how it is used today.

Originally, the Hat Creek Radio Observatory--the official name of this facility--was a joint effort by UC Berkeley, the University of Illinois at Urbana, and the University of Maryland, called BIMA. It had ten 20-foot-diameter antennas that operated in concert to create a millimeter-wave radio interferometer.

But eventually, that project moved on, and now, Hat Creek is the home to the ATA, and for the same reason that BIMA was here: it is one of the few places in North America that provides astronomers hoping to scan the skies with little-to-no terrestrial radio interference.

That's because the facility is bounded by the Cascades on one side and a fault scarp to the east.

Of course, for the folks who live here, that means no cell phone service, and they're pretty much out of luck for listening to the radio or watching broadcast TV.

But since what these scientists want is to do serious astronomy, it's fair to say that's a trade they're willing to make.

To be sure, however, their hope for radio silence is dashed by the ever-present broadcast satellites that scream overhead. And those mean that there are a series of frequencies that simply aren't available for scanning.

The Allen Telescope Array has been funded so far mainly by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and it's hoped he will be the benefactor for the future, as well.

Forster said that the original 42 antennas cost around $25 million to put up, and that while no additional funding has yet been acquired, they are in negotiations for the money to expand the array to about 128 antennas.

You may be familiar with other large-scale radio observatories. Perhaps the most famous is the Very Large Array, in New Mexico, which comprises 27 giant dishes.

Like ATA, SETI makes use of the Very Large Array. But the chief difference is that the SETI folks only get to use VLA once in a while. At ATA, however, they are always on. And that means, the SETI folks think, that their goal of tracking down E.T. is now getting a serious jump start.

Forster explained that at the full 350 antenna capacity, the SETI project will have the ability to "see" transmissions from something as large as Aricebo from as much as 1,000 light years away, meaning that if there are aliens within that distance and they have their own SETI projects going on that are broadcasting signals like we are, there's a much better chance we'll meet up eventually, now that a tool like the ATA is available.

Of course, the array here is also available simultaneously for other astronomy, but thanks to Allen's interest in finding extraterrestrials, SETI is the bread-winner here.

"Without SETI, it would never have happened," Forster said of the ATA's creation. "Since BIMA left, this luckily came along. So, yeah, it's hugely important for the existence of the observatory.

When the funding comes in for more antennas, Forster explained, the facility has a team of two techs that can put them together at a rate of about two a week. They cost about $150,000 each, a number that is cheap in the business. And they're provided by a guy in Idaho Falls, Idaho, who specializes in making large-scale satellite dishes.

Radio waves that come screaming in from outer space are captured by a receiver called an ultra-wide band log periodic feed. Forster said that electrons in the radio waves bounce off the main reflector, then bounce again off the sub-reflector and arrive at the focus of the receiver, a spot about 80 percent or so along its jagged length.

Then, through a multi-step process, those radio waves are transmitted to the scientists' computers nearby for analysis.

Ultimately, said Forster, the entire array is about doing exactly this job.
"The whole telescope is just to get that reflective surface...pointing in the right direction."

And while many large-scale telescopes require complexities for analyzing and collecting data, the ATA is quite simple, and thus, elegant, Forster said.

Eventually, the full 350-antenna array will cover about 90 acres, and be much denser than it is today, at 42 antennas.

Until then, the search for E.T. will have to make do with what is available here. But once Allen, or other benefactors come through with the money, we may just discover once and for all that we are not alone.

[lochlan-2009]

I will agree, that with the infinity of space, the chance of there being life out there is almost a certainty. However, how long has life been on this planet? In that time how long have we been able to communicate using the electromagnetic spectrum? So, life has been on this planet for 3.7billion years, yet we''ve been sending signals for the last 150 years. Now, we''ve invented the computer, the atomic bomb, genetic warfare, and the most dangerous when combined with computers, broke the genetic code of man (and just about every creature we can get DNA on). If you want to see into the next 20,50,100 years, we''ll be interfacing computers with people, I guarantee. And how far are we going to go with this to be smarter, faster, and live longer, eventually forever? So, in the period of maybe 200 years we will have gone from primitive humans to high-functioning, genetically modified and computer-integrated creatures. What do you think the chances are of possible aliens going this same route? And we''re going to catch the exact time period they are making the same possible transition, from light years away. Well, I have hope for them (and I''m glad they are looking, you have to look), but a long-shot is an understatement to say the least.

[displeased]

Just because E.T. is no talked about in the bible...doesn''''t mean they don''''t exist...what about dinosaur''''s we have proof the were here yet nothing written about them in the bible,
Posted by silverado2nv

The bible only mentions what humans were aware of 2000 years ago.

[displeased]

Atheists are hoping to find another alternative to where life came from, to add to their growing lists of theories that include every possibility except God, of course.
Posted by Christ_Truth

That''s because there is no evidence of god. That''s what scientists build their theories on, evidence.

[displeased]

What an astronomical waste of tax-payer money. No pun intended.
Posted by Christ_Truth

Once again, tax payers aren''t paying for this...

[markavelli2]

Correction: Please DON''T to ask me to disprove this, I didn''''t start this, nor do I ask anything of you in order to share my beliefs.

[markavelli2]

Christ_Truth, do you feel threatened by anothers'' belief that life exists elsewhere? Since you are the one who brought "god"into this...as is always the case with Christians and muslins...show us evidence proving god exists? and while your at it, prove that god is a "he".
Please to ask me to disprove this, I didn''t start this, nor do I ask anything of you in order to share my beliefs.

[silverado2nv]

-You bet there is, and His name is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord and Creator of all intelligence on this earth. He is the author of intelligence. All living things come from Him and are made by Him.

Posted by Christ_Truth at 12:23 PM : Dec 14, 2008


Just because E.T. is no talked about in the bible...doesn''t mean they don''t exist...what about dinosaur''s we have proof the were here yet nothing written about them in the bible,

[tmittelstaed]

I see Paul Allen has millions to spend looking for aliens, but claims empty pockets when he wants to screw over all the investors that put money into the Portland Rose Garden that was built for the Blazers.
Uh huh. What a jerk.

[displeased]

WHY? WHO CARES? WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF KNOWING?
Posted by WPC0101

I don''t know. To gain knowledge? To discover an unknown that may benefit mankind. How are we to make new discoveries if we don''t look for them?

[nordeck52]

Posted by WPC0101 at 03:12 PM : Dec 13, 2008


You are aware that the SETI project is 100% privately funded, right? So they''re perfectly entitled to spend money on these things!

Now, if it were run by the government, THEN we''d be obliged to have a say in it, but since it''s not, we don''t.

Next!

[wpc0101]

WHY? WHO CARES? WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF KNOWING?
THE WAY THE WORLD IS GOING WE WILL BE EXTINCT.
CURIOUSITY KILLED THE CAT...AND WHO GIVES A *** WHY THE CHICKEN CROSSED THE ROAD

[displeased]

MMMM, our government spends how much on this stuff....
Posted by tincup356

Its funny how folks assume the government is behind all space research. I support a small portion of our tax dollars going towards space exploration, however, our government is very wasteful. I''d imagine this privately funded SETI project is much more cost efficient.

[downsteamjim]

Just our luck all they will get is Spam.

[tincup356]

MMMM, our government spends how much on this stuff.....and the official word is ...UFOs don''t exist? well if they don''t ...why are we spending money on communicating with what they say isn''t there?

[jwrett]

You can put a microphone next to rock and listen for a million years and eventually you will hear something. It just may not be the rock.

[westwoodmews]

Believe me you don''t want to find any et''s. If you do they''ll want to sign up for benefits that are already extended far behind what UNCLE can pay for. Paul/Bethesda

[marcosis78]

We''ve wasted more money on more frivolous things. Better to get SOMETHING out of it.

[jerryspoor]

A large group of scientists programmed a computer to ask for the meaning of life and then sent the signal into outer space. Nine years later the answer came back from a star system 4.5 light years away. The answer was 43.5678942. We are now happy to know the answer but the scientists forgot exactly what the question was.

[jerryspoor]

Science and statistics would be able to predict the number of inhabited planets if it were not for the short unpredictable length of civilization.

[govwatch-2009]

Do you really think there is hope out there for our collective stupidity when we kill tens of millions of ourselves on a regular basis?