[Continued from AAW001] However, if the signal is intercepted by a hostile, technically advanced species, then we stand to loose everything. The only time that we should possibly consider sending out a beacon therefore, is in the event of a worldwide catastrophe when we should send out a continuous planetary distress signal (an interstellar SOS if you will). I run SETI@home on my company’s computers to facilitate humanity’s search of the heavens for intelligent extra-terrestrial life. For the above reasons, it is imperative that we discover such life before it discovers us. I feel that the project is therefore a necessary and a worthy one. However, it is on too small a scale. There should be such radio telescopes and other technologies that are capable of detecting artificial extra-terrestrial signals installed all over the world, searching the entire sky continuously. Even if there is not a life-supporting planet within reasonable scanning distance, there exists the possibility that a ship may pass within our scope and send out a signal that could be detected by us. One possible suggestion in the meantime, is that if the world’s governments were serious about finding intelligent life elsewhere in the universe then SETI@home should also become a compulsory SETI@school and SETI@work project. If virtually every computer in all the schools and offices of the world (where policy is easier to implement than the home) were running SETI software, then the odds of finding such intelligence would be significantly increased and the time taken, much reduced. This would also be a good idea for other space science research such as aiding in the discovery of asteroids and comets that could pose a threat to all life on Earth. An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs and many other of Earth’s species but we are the first who are able to do something about it. We should not waste this advantage! - AAW. |
