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Posted by Brian on August 27, 2005 at 05:18:51:

AT CREEK, Calif.--It's easy to spot Jack Welch's airplane as it glides
past the foothills near this tiny mountain town. It's the only one.
Hardly anyone lives out this way--just a few thousand locals and a trickle
of tourists. That's what makes it the perfect spot for what has turned into
Welch's life work: listening to outer space.
These days, the UC Berkeley professor's job has become a bit more precise.
He's the first to hold the university's chair for the search for
extraterrestrial intelligence--what researchers say is the first academic
position of its kind in the world.
That's right, he's waiting for ET to get on the phone.
"We get that a lot," said Welch, who teaches astronomy and electrical
engineering. Smiling politely at "X-Files" jokes, UFO questions and "Star Trek"
references is practically part of the job. It's also part of his life. His
wife, Jill Tartar, heads Project Phoenix for the Mountain View-based Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence (known as SETI) near San Jose. She was the model
for the astronomer played by Jodie Foster in the 1997 film "Contact," which is
based on a story by Carl Sagan.
With his appointment to the university's chair, Welch can place even
greater emphasis on one of his great passions: finding evidence that human
beings are not alone in the universe.
"What's important about this position is the recognition that what we are
working with is serious, legitimate science," he said. "We know so little about
what's out there, not to look for [intelligent life] is really foolish."
Scientists have been looking "out there" from the university's Hat Creek
Observatory near Lassen Peak in the Cascades since the 1960s. Welch helped set
up the radio astronomy lab, and UC Berkeley scientists have been tracking
signals sent by planets, stars, black holes and galaxies ever since.
Ten radiotelescopes scan the heavens from a small plateau in the
mountains. The whir and whine of their motors cut through the country
stillness. Their round, white faces tilt in unison as a computer runs a
"script," telling them where to point. A coyote watches this eerie ballet from
the edge of a nearby clearing. Swallows flutter away when their perch suddenly
swivels.
Welch, 65, has been making the trip to Hat Creek for more than 40 years.
He became a researcher at the university's observatory there in 1963 and served
as director from 1972 to 1996. Rather than make the five- to six-hour drive
north from the Bay Area, Welch learned to fly.
"Interstate 5 wasn't built then, and on each trip up here I'd see a few
accidents on the roads," he said. "I figured the odds were against me, so
flying to Hat Creek looked like a good idea."
Welch now flies in weekly in his blue Cessna as he carries out his
five-year mission. The Watson and Marilyn Albert chair he has held since
September was set up with a $500,000 gift by a pair of Berkeley alumni.
The professor plans to build 500 to 1,000 radiotelescopes, which will be
electronically connected to form one enormous instrument. The array would cover
more than two acres and have a collecting area of 10,000 square meters. The
giant telescope is expected to cost about $25 million.
"The exciting thing is we think we can arrange to look in several
directions at once, which means that instead of looking at 10 stars, we can
look at hundreds of stars," Welch said.
The resulting radiotelescope will be devoted largely to the search for
extraterrestrial life. The instrument will scan the universe and listen for a
signal whose power and narrow focus make it stand out from galactic "noise." If
such a signal is heard, an alarm will sound and scientists will search for the
source.
"If someone is sending a beacon and they're within 10 light years, we'll
be able to hear it. We'll be able to have a conversation," Welch said, then
grinned. "My nightmare is the answer will come back, 'Would you please repeat
the
question?' "
In light of intense interest in and skepticism about the project, Welch
finds himself repeating several answers.
"I have to tell people we're not looking for UFOs; we're looking for
signals," he said. "I'm pretty well convinced there are other people out there.
But will we find them in this lifetime? I'd say that's a longshot. But we have
to look."
Robert Jastrow, director of the Mount Wilson Institute in Los Angeles,
agreed.
A renowned astronomer who joined NASA the day it was formed, Jastrow
helped oversee an event many thought would remain pure science fiction: the
Apollo moon landing. He called Berkeley's SETI program a realistic project
based on a line of clear reasoning.
"Life is made of molecular building blocks that can exist on other planets
and, for the first time, we have evidence that planets are common in the
universe," Jastrow said. "If we find life on Mars, even if it's very primitive,
then we know life started on two planets in one solar system. That makes the
proposition of life in other solar systems even more likely."
But what kind of life? Science fiction has long speculated on who could be
out there and what they might want from Earth.
Solomon Golomb, a professor of electrical engineering at USC, specializes
in the creation and detection of signals. He wrote a tongue-in-cheek paper in
the 1950s called Extraterrestrial Linguistics. It concludes with H.G. Wells'
story about aliens who arrive on Earth "to serve man."
"It turns out that they're writing a cookbook--rather a different meaning
of 'to serve,' " he said.
And that's his point. The idea that someone would advertise their location
in the universe also presents problems, Golomb said. Although Earth's
scientists listen to the universe, they don't advertise our presence. Radio and
television transmissions emanating from our planet are so weak that they become
mere noise over great distances. We don't send the kind of concentrated beacon
Welch and others are searching for.
"We're willing to listen but we don't transmit," Golomb said. "There might
be a billion intelligent civilizations out there with that same attitude.
Advertising 'Here's a good, hospitable planet' could be inviting pirates."
Alien civilizations may remain ignorant of UC Berkeley's project, but many
earthlings are already obsessed. It's human nature, says Stephen O'Leary,
associate professor at USC's Annenberg School for Communication.
"This appeals to a really deep part of the soul and imagination, and the
university's appointment of a chair in the field reflects that," O'Leary said.
"Try to imagine life from another planet and you are at the boundary of human
understanding."
That boundary is a perfect fit for Welch. He can look at the squiggle of
circles and loopy lines that show the constellation Virgo and see--really
see--the flaming stars, whirling cosmic dust and the black hole the computer
printout represents. And he sees the possibilities.
"There are several hundred billion stars in the Milky Way, and there are
several hundred billion galaxies in the universe," Welch said. "Just think
about that. It seems absurd to me that we're the only ones who have made it
this far."

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: AT CREEK, Calif.--It's easy to spot Jack Welch's airplane as it glides : past the foothills near this tiny mountain town. It's the only one. : Hardly anyone lives out this way--just a few thousand locals and a trickle : of tourists. That's what makes it the perfect spot for what has turned into : Welch's life work: listening to outer space. : These days, the UC Berkeley professor's job has become a bit more precise. : He's the first to hold the university's chair for the search for : extraterrestrial intelligence--what researchers say is the first academic : position of its kind in the world. : That's right, he's waiting for ET to get on the phone. : "We get that a lot," said Welch, who teaches astronomy and electrical : engineering. Smiling politely at "X-Files" jokes, UFO questions and "Star Trek" : references is practically part of the job. It's also part of his life. His : wife, Jill Tartar, heads Project Phoenix for the Mountain View-based Search for : Extraterrestrial Intelligence (known as SETI) near San Jose. She was the model : for the astronomer played by Jodie Foster in the 1997 film "Contact," which is : based on a story by Carl Sagan. : With his appointment to the university's chair, Welch can place even : greater emphasis on one of his great passions: finding evidence that human : beings are not alone in the universe. : "What's important about this position is the recognition that what we are : working with is serious, legitimate science," he said. "We know so little about : what's out there, not to look for [intelligent life] is really foolish." : Scientists have been looking "out there" from the university's Hat Creek : Observatory near Lassen Peak in the Cascades since the 1960s. Welch helped set : up the radio astronomy lab, and UC Berkeley scientists have been tracking : signals sent by planets, stars, black holes and galaxies ever since. : Ten radiotelescopes scan the heavens from a small plateau in the : mountains. The whir and whine of their motors cut through the country : stillness. Their round, white faces tilt in unison as a computer runs a : "script," telling them where to point. A coyote watches this eerie ballet from : the edge of a nearby clearing. Swallows flutter away when their perch suddenly : swivels. : Welch, 65, has been making the trip to Hat Creek for more than 40 years. : He became a researcher at the university's observatory there in 1963 and served : as director from 1972 to 1996. Rather than make the five- to six-hour drive : north from the Bay Area, Welch learned to fly. : "Interstate 5 wasn't built then, and on each trip up here I'd see a few : accidents on the roads," he said. "I figured the odds were against me, so : flying to Hat Creek looked like a good idea." : Welch now flies in weekly in his blue Cessna as he carries out his : five-year mission. The Watson and Marilyn Albert chair he has held since : September was set up with a $500,000 gift by a pair of Berkeley alumni. : The professor plans to build 500 to 1,000 radiotelescopes, which will be : electronically connected to form one enormous instrument. The array would cover : more than two acres and have a collecting area of 10,000 square meters. The : giant telescope is expected to cost about $25 million. : "The exciting thing is we think we can arrange to look in several : directions at once, which means that instead of looking at 10 stars, we can : look at hundreds of stars," Welch said. : The resulting radiotelescope will be devoted largely to the search for : extraterrestrial life. The instrument will scan the universe and listen for a : signal whose power and narrow focus make it stand out from galactic "noise." If : such a signal is heard, an alarm will sound and scientists will search for the : source. : "If someone is sending a beacon and they're within 10 light years, we'll : be able to hear it. We'll be able to have a conversation," Welch said, then : grinned. "My nightmare is the answer will come back, 'Would you please repeat : the : question?' " : In light of intense interest in and skepticism about the project, Welch : finds himself repeating several answers. : "I have to tell people we're not looking for UFOs; we're looking for : signals," he said. "I'm pretty well convinced there are other people out there. : But will we find them in this lifetime? I'd say that's a longshot. But we have : to look." : Robert Jastrow, director of the Mount Wilson Institute in Los Angeles, : agreed. : A renowned astronomer who joined NASA the day it was formed, Jastrow : helped oversee an event many thought would remain pure science fiction: the : Apollo moon landing. He called Berkeley's SETI program a realistic project : based on a line of clear reasoning. : "Life is made of molecular building blocks that can exist on other planets : and, for the first time, we have evidence that planets are common in the : universe," Jastrow said. "If we find life on Mars, even if it's very primitive, : then we know life started on two planets in one solar system. That makes the : proposition of life in other solar systems even more likely." : But what kind of life? Science fiction has long speculated on who could be : out there and what they might want from Earth. : Solomon Golomb, a professor of electrical engineering at USC, specializes : in the creation and detection of signals. He wrote a tongue-in-cheek paper in : the 1950s called Extraterrestrial Linguistics. It concludes with H.G. Wells' : story about aliens who arrive on Earth "to serve man." : "It turns out that they're writing a cookbook--rather a different meaning : of 'to serve,' " he said. : And that's his point. The idea that someone would advertise their location : in the universe also presents problems, Golomb said. Although Earth's : scientists listen to the universe, they don't advertise our presence. Radio and : television transmissions emanating from our planet are so weak that they become : mere noise over great distances. We don't send the kind of concentrated beacon : Welch and others are searching for. : "We're willing to listen but we don't transmit," Golomb said. "There might : be a billion intelligent civilizations out there with that same attitude. : Advertising 'Here's a good, hospitable planet' could be inviting pirates." : Alien civilizations may remain ignorant of UC Berkeley's project, but many : earthlings are already obsessed. It's human nature, says Stephen O'Leary, : associate professor at USC's Annenberg School for Communication. : "This appeals to a really deep part of the soul and imagination, and the : university's appointment of a chair in the field reflects that," O'Leary said. : "Try to imagine life from another planet and you are at the boundary of human : understanding." : That boundary is a perfect fit for Welch. He can look at the squiggle of : circles and loopy lines that show the constellation Virgo and see--really : see--the flaming stars, whirling cosmic dust and the black hole the computer : printout represents. And he sees the possibilities. : "There are several hundred billion stars in the Milky Way, and there are : several hundred billion galaxies in the universe," Welch said. "Just think : about that. It seems absurd to me that we're the only ones who have made it : this far."

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