I am 35 years old, living in England. I work as a Personal Adviser for long term unemployed people. In my spare time I love training and flying my owls and looking after my 2 horses. I have a thirst for knowledge and read anything on Astronomy, archeaology and history.
Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home
1. I do think there is life elsewhere, due to the immensity of space. I do not necessarily believe it is intelligent - could even be just an insect! But to me that would be exciting enough.
I do not believe that humans will find it in my lifetime and perhaps it will be something very simple they will find. The benefits are in the old cliche - we are not alone. Dangers - if we are talking intelligent life - I do not feel there are any dangers as the messages may come from so far away - there is little chance of a visit. But considering the problems we have with other cultures (ie wars!) we should perhaps consider very carefully what a return message contained.
2. I agree that humans should transmit but only by professionals. I do not believe you can send a message as there is little chance of it being understood. It can only be a signal - much like we are looking for from them.
I feel that everyone gives possible ETs human qualities. They would have evolved differently and whose to say they would have gone down the same sicentific path and that they even use a type of signal we could pick up.
3. I choose to run the SETI programme as its the nearest anyone like me will get to be involved in anything remotely scientific! I thinks the project is a wonderful idea. I do believe there is life out there but it would be exciting to think it was intelligent and that the programme could succeed in finding any signal.
SETI@home and Astropulse are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and donations from SETI@home volunteers. AstroPulse is funded in part by the NSF through grant AST-0307956.
