Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

SETI Past, Present, and Future

By: H. Paul Shuch

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Hardcover | 10 January 2011

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564 Pages

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23.5 x 15.88 x 2.54

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This book is a collection of essays written by the very scientists and engineers who have led, and continue to lead, the scientific quest known as SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Divided into three parts, the first section, 'The Spirit of SETI Past', written by the surviving pioneers of this then emerging discipline, reviews the major projects undertaken during the first 50 years of SETI science and the results of that research.

In the second section, 'The Spirit of SETI Present', the present-day science and technology is discussed in detail, providing the technical background to contemporary SETI instruments, experiments, and analytical techniques, including the processing of the received signals to extract potential alien communications.

In the third and final section, 'The Spirit of SETI Future', the book looks ahead to the possible directions that SETI will take in the next 50 years, addressing such important topics as interstellar message construction, the risks and assumptions of interstellar communications, when we might make contact, what aliens might look like and what is likely to happen in the aftermath of such a contact.

Industry Reviews

From the reviews: "It is fascinating to see how much has changed, and how much hasn't changed, with the arrival of this hefty tome nearly half a century later. ... if you have a serious interest in SETI, this book provides the wide, eye-opening overview that other book lack. A must buy." (Keith Cooper, Astronomy Now, June, 2011) "From October 30 to November 3, 1961, a small group of experts from a wide range of disciplines met in an attempt to estimate the number of technological civilizations in the galaxy. This book is a celebration of that meeting, and it is fitting that its 30 articles are written by experts from diverse fields. ... the material is accessible to a lay audience, and the writing is generally clear and engaging. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels." (T. Barker, Choice, Vol. 49 (4), December, 2011)

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About the Authors	p. ix
Foreword: Looking Back	p. xv
Preface	p. xix
The Spirit of SETI Past
A half-century of SETI science	p. 3
Project Ozma: The birth of observational SETI	p. 13
Project Cyclops: The greatest radio telescope never built	p. 19
ôWow!ö, A tantalizing candidate	p. 47
SETI: The NASA years	p. 65
From HRMS to Phoenix: Up from the ashes	p. 87
SERENDIP: The Berkeley SETI Program	p. 99
Millions and billions of channels	p. 107
The Spirit of SETI Present
ATA: A cyclops for the 21st century	p. 131
Optical SETI: Moving toward the light	p. 147
Distributed processing of SETI data	p. 183
Project Argus: Pursuing amateur all-sky SETI	p. 201
Gravitational lensing extends SETI range	p. 227
Detection algorithms: FFT vs. KLT	p. 239
Implementing the KLT	p. 275
A Sentry on the Universe	p. 285
Pondering the Fermi Paradox	p. 305
The Spirit of SETI Future
Focusing the Galactic internet	p. 325
SETI in science fiction	p. 351
What's past is prologue: Future messages of cosmic evolution	p. 373
METI: Messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence	p. 399
A contrarian perspective on altruism	p. 429
L: How Long Do They Last?	p. 451
What will they look like?	p. 467
Being technological	p. 477
After contact, then what?	p. 497
Epilogue: Hungarians as Martians: The truth behind the legend	p. 515
Afterword: Looking forward	p. 519
Index	p. 523
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

SETI Past, Present, and Future

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

Other Editions and Formats

Paperback

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