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SETI
- Allen Telescope Array
- Optical SETI
- Interstellar Message Construction
- Project Phoenix 1995-2004
- Background Science
- History of SETI
- Center for SETI Research Team
- Other people doing SETI
- Hollywood's View of SETI
It's Nice to Be Back
by Mike Davis - Director of SETI Projects
The island is glistening as we land in San Juan, bathed in a fresh evening shower. Jean and I think back to our arrival with four children and four pets nearly thirty years ago. The six-lane superhighway is a far cry from the two-lane road that took us to Arecibo in 1973.
Arecibo Observatory has likewise undergone massive changes over these years. When Frank Drake phoned to ask if I would like to come down for a year or two to participate in calibration of the newly installed reflector surface, little did we suspect that twenty-six years later we would pull up roots once again, this time to rejoin Frank at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, CA.
In the meantime the Arecibo Observatory has undergone another even larger upgrading project. I had the privilege to serve as project scientist for this Gregorian Upgrading. We installed a dual sub-reflector system to correct the spherical aberration of the 1000-foot primary, independent of wavelength, a ground screen to improve performance at high zenith angles, and a brand new planetary radar transmitter with twice the power of the old one.
People laugh, but I proudly wear my VISITOR badge around the Observatory these days. Somehow a former site director isn't expected to behave as an ordinary visitor.
It's great touching base with old colleagues as well as newcomers to the staff. Jose Maldonado, in charge of site facilities and safety since before my arrival, is fit and healthy again after heart surgery last fall. He describes in detail the successful re-shimming of the elevation rails to better than 1 mm, and the new articulated trolleys and backup safety brakes he has designed and installed on the Gregorian dome. This carries on a tradition of constant improvement that makes Arecibo a continuing source of exciting science and new discoveries.
Back in Aguadilla, Jean and I take a short break to run down to the beach with two of our grandchildren. California is wonderful, but it can't touch Caribbean beaches for lolling in the surf and letting the cares of the world wash away.
Jean's former colleagues on the staff at Ramey School have invited her to give the commencement address this year, so she will be staying on through May. For now, I'm part of the observing team, covering the 8 pm to 4 am swing shift. I'll be heading back April 30, to continue working with the design teams for the Allen Telescope Array and the Search System.
Just maybe, we'll have the star name and signal frequency for the first ETI signal by that time.