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A Common Cold in Uncommon Circumstances

December 10, 2003

by Ben Sanchez, Project Phoenix Engineer

Someone is in the lobby to pick you up, the voice on the phone informed me.  Lobby?!? Id been deeply asleep for hours, was still feverish with my cold, and very confused. Who is it?  The hotel clerk responded with silence and I looked around the room, still holding the phone. It all came back.

For two days before my flight Id been in bed, unable to move or do much of anything but groan and ask for medicine and water. The morning of my flight I dragged myself up, grabbed my pre-packed luggage, and dashed off to the air port just in time to miss my flight to Dallas. This put me off-schedule for the whole trip of course, and caused me to miss my ride to the telescope on the night I arrived.

Thanks to the magical work of Chris Neller back in Mountain View, I was whisked off to a room in San Juan, where I collapsed on the bed. Twelve hours later, I was coming to in my San Juan hotel room, and Peter Backus was four flights down, waiting to pick me up.

I rushed to get ready and made my way to the elevator, which was out of order. Par for this trip, it seemed. I stumbled down the stairs with my luggage, wondering what Peter would say when I showed my face in the lobby, having missed my plane, then sleeping in past the noon-time checkout and the pick-up that had been scheduled for me. I must have looked as sick as I was, as Peter made no mention of my oversleeping.

Once at the telescope, I was relieved early from my first observing shift by merciful co-workers. At last, I managed to sleep off the worst of my cold, and awoke to a beautiful day in paradise. I sat for a moment out on my veranda, looking out over the jungle, wondering just  what am I doing so far from home?  The huge telescope loomed in the distance. I'm observing at the worlds largest telescope. I'm participating in the worlds most exciting SETI project.

And then it hit me, Tonight I get to do my job, observing--the part I love. Sitting at the controls of 900 tons of aluminum, and scanning the heavens with my colleagues. Listening for that faint whistle, the first evidence that we are not alone in this vast cosmos, but have neighbors out there who are capable of producing radios much like out own. That there is intelligence elsewhere in the universe. Thats the one thing that makes the air travel, working with a miserable cold, the hardship of being away from family and friends worth it. The chance that this might be the night.  There is no better medicine!.