SearchLites - Vol 01 No 1

Magazine Overview

Title: SearchLites
Issue: Volume 1 Number 1
Date: Spring 1995
Publisher: The SETI League, Inc.
Type: Quarterly Newsletter

Membership Drive Gains Momentum

The SETI League, Inc., a non-profit, educational, and scientific corporation, is actively seeking new members to support its Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) efforts. Richard Factor, League founder and Trustee, has initiated a drive to recruit new Charter Members. Charter memberships are available for a contribution of $35 US, a discount from the regular $50 per year dues for Full memberships. As an added incentive, Charter memberships purchased now will not expire until December 31, 1996, effectively providing nearly two years of membership privileges for the price of one.

Charter Members receive several benefits, including discounts on SETI League merchandise, advance notice of conferences with SETI presentations, priority use of the League's Internet node and World Wide Web site, and the satisfaction of contributing to a vital search, especially in the wake of terminated NASA SETI funding.

Additional membership categories are available: Household Member ($15/year for shared subscriptions), Scholarship Membership ($25/year for full-time students), and Life Membership ($1000, which remains valid until contact is made). Special categories exist for those wishing to make more substantial contributions. Application forms are available on the last page of the issue, and more information can be obtained by calling the Membership hotline at 1(800) TAU-SETI.

Sky Survey Target Date Announced

SETI League Executive Director H. Paul Shuch announced "Earth Day, April 20, 1996" as the target date for commencing the long-awaited Sky Survey. This initiative aims to involve and benefit all of humankind. The survey will cover the entire sky at the 1.4 to 1.7 GHz Water Hole frequencies.

Shuch estimates that approximately 5,000 experimenters will be needed for this coordinated effort. He emphasizes that this is not a task for those seeking instant gratification, requiring significant investment in equipment, software, hundreds of hours of effort, and many years of patience. However, the potential rewards are immeasurable, potentially leading to the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence or the conclusion that humanity is alone.

Experimenters with backgrounds in amateur radio, microwave technology, or digital signal processing are encouraged to assist. A successful amateur SETI station will likely require a 3- to 5-meter parabolic reflector antenna. The SETI League is developing a standard, low-cost microwave receiver kit, expected to be available by Christmas. A 486 DX class home computer with a sound card can be used for digital signal processing. The cost and complexity are comparable to a high-performance amateur radio station.

Interested experimenters can contact Dr. Shuch for technical details at The SETI League headquarters via phone (201) 641-1770, fax (201) 641-1771, or email [email protected].

SETI League Vision and Mission Statements

The SETI League envisions a worldwide network of advanced experimenters working together to hasten humanity's entry into the galactic community. Its mission is to encourage and support SETI by attracting amateurs and enthusiasts, developing assistive technologies, disseminating designs, coordinating sky surveys, facilitating communication, operating telescopes, identifying spin-off applications, encouraging public funding for NASA SETI, and raising public consciousness.

The organization is a membership-supported, non-profit [501(c)(3)] educational and scientific corporation.

Who's Who in The SETI League

The leadership of The SETI League includes: Founder and President Richard C. Factor; Executive Director H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D.; Secretary Diana Davidson; Treasurer Martin Schreiber, CPA; and Registered Agent Marc Arnold, Esq. The Trustees are Richard Factor, Martin Schreiber, and Marc Arnold.

SETI Pioneer Frank Drake Endorses SETI League Search

Dr. Frank Drake, a pioneer in SETI and president of the SETI Institute, expressed cautious support for The SETI League's planned amateur all-sky survey in an interview with San Francisco Examiner science writer Keay Davidson. Drake, who conducted Project Ozma, the first microwave SETI search in 1960, believes that amateurs have historically made significant scientific contributions.

The article, syndicated by Scripps Howard News Service, also included an interview with SETI League Executive Director Dr. H. Paul Shuch and comments from optical SETI proponent Dr. Stuart Kingsley. Drake noted that while he represents the "big-money, big-radio-telescope" side of SETI, he welcomes amateurs like Shuch. He believes there is a chance amateur SETI buffs could achieve their dream of hearing the first extraterrestrial greetings.

Drake's quote, "You never know!" followed by a chuckle, and his statement that "Shuch's plans are quite reasonable. It's not flaky stuff like the UFO people," indicate his positive view of the League's endeavors.

Upcoming Conferences

The newsletter lists several upcoming conferences relevant to SETI enthusiasts:

• July 10-12, 1995: Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) annual meeting, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank WV.
• July 27-29, 1995: 29th Conference of the Central States VHF Society, Colorado Springs CO.
• August 25-27, 1995: Eastern VHF/UHF Conference, Vernon CT.
• September 30, 1995: Mid-Atlantic VHF Conference, Horsham PA.
• October 6-8, 1995: AMSAT Space Symposium, Orlando FL.
• October 27-29, 1995: Microwave Update '95, Arlington TX.
• November 17-19, 1995: Philcon '95, Philadelphia PA.

Contact information for each conference is provided.

Bruno Award Established

The SETI League has established the Bruno Award to honor the memory of Giordano Bruno, an Italian monk burned at the stake in 1600 for postulating the multiplicity of inhabited worlds. The award, suggested by sociologist Donald Tarter, will be presented annually to individuals making significant technical, intellectual, or financial contributions to SETI, or for extraordinary service to The SETI League. The award consists of a statuette known as a Bruno.

Members are invited to nominate deserving individuals. Nominating petitions must be received by January 1st each year and should detail the nominee's contributions. They can be sent to Bruno Award, SETI League, PO Box 555, Little Ferry NJ 07643, or submitted electronically to [email protected]. Nominees need not be members of The SETI League, and the Trustees reserve the right to present no award in a given year.

SETI League Merges Onto Info Superhighway

The SETI League has established an Internet presence, accessible via setil.setileague.org. Members can email headquarters at [email protected], the membership department at [email protected], Richard C. Factor at [email protected], or Dr. H. Paul Shuch at [email protected]. The League plans to offer file and software downloads via anonymous ftp and has launched its World Wide Web home page at http://setil.setileague.org/homepg.html.

Editorial: Why Haven't We Heard Them?

In his editorial, Executive Director H. Paul Shuch addresses the question of why SETI has not yet yielded positive results, despite significant investment and effort over decades. He references Senator Richard Bryan's 1993 legislation that terminated NASA's High Resolution Microwave Survey, highlighting the lack of government funding and the fact that no verified signals of extraterrestrial intelligence have been detected.

Shuch argues that SETI has not yet succeeded because we haven't searched enough. He points out that the Milky Way galaxy contains billions of stars, with an estimated 10,000 potentially habitable civilizations. However, surveying each candidate star is a long shot, and current SETI programs have only surveyed a fraction of the sky for limited periods. He uses the analogy of not having "scratched the surface" or even "found the itch."

He acknowledges that SETI is not a science that produces immediate results, a fact that Congress may not fully grasp. While mourning the loss of NASA's SETI budget, he notes the progress made, including the SETI Institute's Project Phoenix and The SETI League's plan to resurrect the all-sky survey component of NASA SETI with reduced sensitivity but unparalleled coverage. Shuch advocates for the privatization of SETI, suggesting it allows the search to be conducted more effectively than through government channels, which he implies are often plagued by political expediency and inefficiency.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of SearchLites strongly promotes the SETI League's mission and membership. The editorial stance is one of determined optimism regarding SETI, emphasizing the scientific rigor and long-term commitment required. It advocates for the privatization of SETI efforts as a more efficient and effective approach compared to government-funded projects. The newsletter highlights the importance of amateur contributions and international cooperation in achieving the goal of detecting extraterrestrial intelligence. There is a clear emphasis on the scientific nature of SETI, distinguishing it from more speculative or "flaky" topics, as noted by Frank Drake.