Social network Bebo, and the producers of British TV show Wife Swap have combined to undertake an incredible mission; the search for intelligent life in the universe. That’s an intriguing pairing for such a momentous task…
Dr Zaitsev will use a Ukrainian radio telescope, normally used to identify and track asteroids that pose a threat to Earth, to beam the messages to a planet orbiting the star Gliese 581c - 20 light years from Earth - because it is believed to be capable of supporting life.
I’m not really (too) bothered about alien wife swappers showing up (ok, maybe I am), but rather just how long the radio telescope that looks out for threatening asteroids will be off-line.
Hi John,
Don’t worry that:
>just how long the radio telescope that looks out
> for threatening asteroids will be off-line.
This 70-m Evpatoria dish is off-line during 99% of time, because of lack of financing of operations on asteroid radar research in Ukraine.
Thanks for your comment Dr Zaitsev. The situation with the Evpatoria dish doesn’t sound too encouraging. On the subject of threatening asteroids though have you read about the “gravity tractor” spacecraft, in New Scientist magazine, which may help defect asteroids that pose a threat to Earth? Should they be detected, that is.