Editorials

On 21 April 1996, SETI League members gathered in New Jersey to launch a new Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. We sought to determine whether humankind is alone, the sole sentient species in the vast cosmos. The late NASA SETI program, terminated by Congress two and a half years prior, had involved a two-pronged approach to answering that question. A targeted search of nearby Suns was designed to offer prompt results -- if we happen to guess right as to what constitutes a suitable star. But just in case we don't, a methodical survey of the entire sky was also begun.

When NASA SETI funding ended, our SETI Institute colleagues in California very quickly resurrected the targeted search component, under the Project Phoenix banner. Shortly after, The SETI League launched our own Project Argus, as a continuation of the sky survey. We were attempting something which NASA had never contemplated: real-time, all-sky coverage.

The world's giant radio telescopes, the type which NASA used, can only see about a millionth of the sky at a time. Which means if you have one turned on, tuned to exactly the right frequency, at the very instant when The Call comes in, there's still a 99.9999% chance you'll be pointed the wrong way! One possible solution is to build a million such instruments, and cover the entire sky, all at once. At many millions of dollars apiece, we'd very quickly exceed the Gross Planetary Product. But small radio telescopes, such as our members built and used, can see 200 times as much sky as more traditional research instruments. We reasoned that only five thousand of these systems, each priced at just a few thousand dollars, could be coordinated to see in all directions at once.

It's true that these small telescopes had limited sensitivity. Thus we could only hope to capture those highly intermittent, extremely powerful radio emissions which we hypothesize might be emanating from relatively nearby technological civilizations. But our microwave and computer technologies had been evolving at a dizzying pace. Within just a few years, we anticipated technological advances which would allow instruments like ours to hear all the way to the edge of the Galaxy. The SETI League existed to promote just such advances. Thus we deem our mission successful, even though we never heard a peep from the stars.

During the last half-century, SETI has emerged out of the realm of science fiction, and into the scientific mainstream. Every month we read about the discovery of yet another planetary system in space. We are beginning to learn about how life might have developed on other worlds. And we have completed the Copernican Revolution, finally realizing that we are not the center of all creation. Yet SETI programs continue to yield a null result. We are not discouraged. Not only have we not yet scratched the surface, we haven't even felt the itch.

We launched our search on Earth Day, flying the Flag of Earth, because SETI is an enterprise which belongs not just to one country, government or organization, but rather to all humankind. Like Argus, the guard-beast of Greek mythology who had a hundred eyes, we sought to see in all directions at once, that we might capture those photons from distant worlds which may well be falling on our heads even as we speak.

Nearly 28 years after we launched Project Argus, it (and our SETI League) are winding down. This decision was driven by economic reality, diminishing membership, the retirement of our President and Executive Director, and the recent untimely death of our Secretary/Treasurer. In preparation for my own retirement and relocation, two months ago I dismantled and recycled my own personal Project Argus station (FN11lh, identified by its Maidenhead Grid Designator, widely used by radio amateurs to indicate their location). Though our search has reached its end, we are still hopeful that others will soon find the answer to that fundamental question which has haunted humankind since first we realized that the points of light in the night sky are other suns: Are We Alone?

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in editorials are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the position of The SETI League, Inc., its Trustees, officers, Advisory Board, members, donors, or commercial sponsors.