Frank Derekis director of the Carl Sagan Center at SETI Institute, located in California, USA, where he was the founder of the Esma project, in which they listened to two stars, Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani, following radio waves emitted from extraterrestrial intelligent organisms.
The two stars are approximately 12 light-years from Earth and are approximately the same age as the Sun.
The project takes its name from the legendary land of Oz in the famous story of the same name from “El Frank Baum”. Land in the distance is very difficult to reach and the population is made up of strange creatures that are unfamiliar to us.
From April to July 1960, the receiver antenna 28-meter radio telescope project for 6 hours a day on 1420 MHz frequency on a wavelength of 21 centimeters adjustments accordingly to be. This is the radiative profile of the cold hydrogen atom. They are looking for intelligent signals that suggest their engagement extraterrestrials will send them. At the end of the project, scientists began to think about the possibility of finding space creatures somewhere beyond Earth. The idea that those days of laughter with the idea seemed new was added much later, the field of detailed research
The interview that went on to read Frank’s understanding reached a chat with Richard Fisher, author of the magazine New Scientist To celebrate fifty years of this effort is. This interview has been freely translated by Spatial Knowledge.
What brought the idea of the Ozma project to your mind?
In 1957 IRadio Observatory at Harvard University studying clusters of stars have been Plyads when suddenly we received a signal added that part of the sky. This issue could be caused by activities in the vicinity of amateur observatories, but I was of the opinion that we have a clear indication of extraterrestrial civilizations received radiowave. I felt so strange and glorious at that moment that I never experienced it again before or after. At the same time feel a lot of joy and excitement came to me and think I have what I know, you will find that change.
How optimistic were you when you started working on the project?
In 1960, when we started work on a project to us, you know that each star can be a source of signals to be our favorite. We were lucky that the side successes did not discourage us. At the time of the world above us so little known and so hopefully it works out.
In the beginning, you started the project secretly. Was it because you were pessimistic about your speculation about finding extraterrestrial beings?
In the 1960s,therewasa kind of moral prohibition for scientists to think about a frosty life
You have been listening to the afterlife for fifty years. Do you think that you should have heard anything by now?
Over the years I have become more realistic. Equation, the one I introduced to the world says that we need to listen to at least 10 million stars to hear the message of civilization other than ourselves, but there is still no guarantee that if there is an extraterrestrial civilization, they will send signals, or if they do, maybe at a different frequency than what we’re listening to. We’ve accomplished our research on a very large number of stars to date, but the number hasn’t reached 10 million.
Should we start sending radio signals to the outside world at the same time?
Frankly, no. It is very easy for an advanced extraterrestrial civilization in our limits to build radio telscopy and listen to the ordinary waves sent from us like television signals. It is useless to spend our resources on sending one or two loud yells.
There is also an argument that sending signals can mean declaring war.
Yes, and if that happens then it’s my fault because in 1974 I sent the strongest radio message to date from the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico. At that time the star of the Royal severely reprimanded me. He was very worried about the consequences.
What do you think a space creature will look like?
Naturally, we will not be similar in terms of appearance and biology. We humans have a good design. It’s nice that we can stand on two legs because it allows us to use our hands. It’s great, by the way, that we have our heads on top of our bodies, because we can see our prey. But the existence of two hands is not a good idea. Anyone who tried to carry their luggage from car to house must have faced this problem. So my supposed space people will be largely like our own but with four hands! However, no one knows what path evolution is going through in different circumstances.