"Yoo-hoo, ET! Where are you, buddy?"

Since I first started watching The X-Files way back when, I have been fascinated by the search for alien life undertaken by the organization SETI.  SETI, or the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, is one of the longest-running searches for alien life, which basically involves scanning the skies with a whole fleet of radio telescopes, searching for alien signals.  So far, it has been unsuccessful at finding aliens, and now that lack of success (and the economic downturn) are starting to hurt SETI.  SETI has been forced to close down the 42-telescope Allen Telescope Array as part of a cost-cutting measure.

The Allen Array was operated as a joint initiate between SETI and The University of California-Berkeley’s Radio Astronomy Lab.  Private donors have decreased and budget cuts have forced Berkeley to cut costs.  In the past, prominent SETI donors like Paul Allen have kept the program afloat through budget crises, but now it seems as if SETI’s cost-cutting measures are a necessary evil for the organization.

Hopefully this isn’t the end of SETI.  I love the organization and support them wholeheartedly, and I want to see them do well and continue to watch the skies.

Tags: SETI, Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, SETI Initiative closed, SETI closes down telescopes, SETI telescopes shut down, University of California-Berkeley,  Radio Astronomy Lab,  Allen Telescope Array, SETI closes 42 radio telescopes, SETI running out of money

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