Save Arecibo: because aliens don't do voicemail

The folks at SETI@home have put out a desperate plea for the community to bust out those quill pens and start writing strongly-worded letters to congress persons. Apparently the Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest radio telescope and SETI@home's data source, is being threatened with some massive budget cuts. Given that a replacement for Arecibo won't be online until 2020 at best, folks are understandably upset. Turns out Arecibo is also one of the best shots we have at detecting an earth-threatening asteroid before it's too late and we have to sit through another Elijah Wood movie on the subject. You know what you have to do.

[Thanks, Brian]

[Phil Ringsmuth @ Jul 7th 2008 11:30AM]

But then what will Jodie Foster and Matthew Mcconaughey use to listen to their washing machines?

[j_g_puff @ Jul 7th 2008 11:39AM]

Never mind them - just think how many fledgling Bond villains will never get the opportunity to construct an underground lair beneath a giant telescope...

It brings a tear to the eye :(

[Josh @ Jul 7th 2008 11:48AM]

haha, i was just thinking that the pic was from the set of goldeneye

[Nabil @ Jul 7th 2008 12:06PM]

What about Agent Mulder and his adventures there? This will totally ruin any chance of an x-files 2

[Rogue_Genius @ Jul 7th 2008 12:12PM]

@nabil

Correction, x-files 2 is scheduled for release this summer :)

[TheDude @ Jul 7th 2008 12:49PM]

and Mathew Broderick vs. Jim Carrey in Cable Guy, right?

[AJ in the East Bay @ Jul 7th 2008 4:25PM]

@Josh:

Hold on to that thought. Those Goldeneye scenes were filmed at the Arecibo Observatory.

[ivan @ Jul 7th 2008 7:04PM]

yeah a scene in goldeneye was shot there...

ohh and PUERTO RICO FTW!!!1

[alfaphlex @ Jul 7th 2008 11:31AM]

that sucks.

[rock99rock @ Jul 7th 2008 12:05PM]

Tell me about it. They need to get a few thousand gallons of 409 and clean that shit.

[Reich @ Jul 7th 2008 11:32AM]

Perhaps our Alien looks so angry because he was trying to call customer support and has just been informed he'll be on hold until 2020.

[waterwagen @ Jul 7th 2008 11:32AM]

Looks to me like the dish found an Alien! Mission accomplished. No more funding needed.

[Ladderless @ Jul 7th 2008 11:34AM]

How about some foreign support?

It's not like they're asteroid-proof either.

[Robotochan @ Jul 7th 2008 11:36AM]

Because we fund our own science projects :)

[kjb434 @ Jul 7th 2008 11:53AM]

Foreign support would be appreciated. Turn it into an international site.

[iPriest @ Jul 7th 2008 12:04PM]

Why would we fund Arecibo? The shelters are located in the US and the only ones allowed to those shelters are nobelprize winners and some americans. Our money is better spent in research how to destroy these shelters after a deep impact.

[johnzilla @ Jul 7th 2008 2:02PM]

Foreign support? Yeah, that makes sense...the other countries can just take a chunk of the billions in aid we send them and send it back to us.

[SHoe @ Jul 7th 2008 5:17PM]

@ johnzilla

There are many countries that don't recieve aid from the U.S.
Now why did you have to go and make this discussion all lame and ugly-like?

[EricR @ Jul 7th 2008 11:35AM]

Maybe the money would be better spent on OUR planet?

[Ryan @ Jul 7th 2008 11:50AM]

You seriously think that detecting a giant asteroid isn't money spent on our planet? Genius. If an asteroid the size of Alaska hits anywhere there won't be any need to feed the homeless. Baby steps, though. We'll get to the homeless.

[CharlieX @ Jul 7th 2008 11:48AM]

We are spending money on our planet. Especially in the Middle East

[fashionista @ Jul 7th 2008 11:49AM]

True, but unfortunately the money is being funneled into our Iraq debacle and bailing out airlines, Bear Stearns, et al.

[EricR @ Jul 7th 2008 12:17PM]

@Ryan

If we detect said asteroid -- do you want to fly up there and detonate a nuclear bomb inside it or something?

[r3loaded @ Jul 7th 2008 12:54PM]

@EricR

That's what Bruce Willis is for.

[r3loaded @ Jul 7th 2008 12:54PM]

@EricR

That's what Bruce Willis is for.

[johnzilla @ Jul 7th 2008 2:03PM]

@Ryan

The homeless? That's an easy problem to solve. Just feed the homeless to the hungry!! Soylent Green, anyone?

[z0phi3l @ Jul 7th 2008 11:37AM]

Grew up in PR, went there 2-3 times while in school. That place is fricking awesome


Don't shut it down, please? Think of my memories of childhood :)

[Zzephyr @ Jul 8th 2008 12:44AM]

Agree with PR being awesome. Absolutely beautiful countryside, babes, shores, babes, wildlife. A zillion types of bananas! Beautiful babes, there, too.

[josearoldan @ Jul 7th 2008 11:39AM]

We really need to help these people, I mean, I have been there and there are more than a hundred people working there. I dont think any of them have preparations to work on another thing or place, if they cut the budget people will lose their jobs and there will be more unemployment here in Puerto Rico.

[Jeremy K. @ Jul 7th 2008 11:39AM]

In my mind SETI@home is useless. I can understand how some SciFi fans would be interested though.

[Wwhat @ Jul 7th 2008 11:51AM]

Talking of SciFi fans, how about the scientology people fund it?

[Podaman @ Jul 7th 2008 11:43AM]

I hated that level on N64.

[John @ Jul 7th 2008 12:08PM]

For England, James?

[Ignatius @ Jul 7th 2008 12:21PM]

I am _SO_ glad I'm not the only person who noticed that it looks a hell of a lot like that Goldeneye scene.

[Mic2000 @ Jul 7th 2008 12:49PM]

no for me...

[Dan @ Jul 7th 2008 12:51PM]

Um, it looks like that Goldeneye scene because they filmed it here.

[Bebo0o @ Jul 7th 2008 11:44AM]

I grew up in Puerto Rico too! never went to Arecibo tho..
But I wanna goooo, so don't shut it down!

[Wwhat @ Jul 7th 2008 11:54AM]

You'd think it was a protected thing on the world heritage list, perhaps someone should email unesco.

[killermicrobe @ Jul 7th 2008 12:21PM]

i dont think we need to worry about asteroids or anything like that considering the secrets about space and the military =p

[killermicrobe @ Jul 7th 2008 12:23PM]

i dont think we need to worry about asteroids right now considering all the secret stuff about space and the military =p

[Jason @ Jul 7th 2008 2:00PM]

say it just once more and I think it will finally make sense

[ShadowKain @ Jul 7th 2008 12:46PM]

Where will Alec Trevelyan's hencement live now? I mean after he died they pretty much lost a father :(

On another note, they can't rip this down, its a hollywood landmark and a dedicated data source! If only pierce brosman were still bond...

[ShadowKain @ Jul 7th 2008 12:47PM]

Oh and Engadget? While I do LOVE the Aliens series, overusing it on anything that has to do with space or a satellite is wearin a bit thin, but still rocks :D

[rob @ Jul 7th 2008 12:48PM]

Why spend millions in SETI when you can spend billions in wars

[Gilbert Tang @ Jul 7th 2008 12:48PM]

Arecibo is also the name of the car service I would often use when stranded in Brooklyn. Them and Eastern.

But I would be hard pressed to write anything positive about them, let alone aid in their salvation.

[Gilbert Tang @ Jul 7th 2008 5:19PM]

You people do realize I was referring to the lackluster car services, not the observatory, right?

I've already written my letter!

[75% @ Jul 7th 2008 12:56PM]

And if you wanted to do something about this see the following link:

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/arecibo_letter.php

[Joe @ Jul 7th 2008 1:04PM]

SETI using radio signals is a waste of time. The loss of signal strength at the distances we're talking about make any information that might be present indistinguishable from background radiation. Anyone who claims otherwise is simply lying.

(SETI.org is a ridiculous fantasy. Take Drake's equation--how can you create an equation with dozens of unknowns? Truth is, he just made stuff up and suckers believed him.)

[Dave @ Jul 7th 2008 1:23PM]

You know radio waves are simply low-energy electromagnetic radiation, right? Do you have any idea how far those things are capable of traveling? (hint: research Quasars)

For that matter, do you have any idea what information send? We aren't pumping out "The Adam Corolla Show" into space, we're simply sending repeating distinct, powerful patterns that wouldn't exist anywhere else, so that if anyone stumbled upon them, they'd pay attention to it.

And concerning the Drake Equation comment of yours: Those unknowns you're talking about that he just made up are called "variables". If you paid attention in 7th grade math class and beyond, you might have learned that we use them quite frequently in calculations every day in labs.

Do you even know what the variables in Drake's Equation actually stand for? Because they're pretty straightforward, it's not like he just pulled actual numbers out of his ass, he made a framework so that others scientists wouldn't have to "make stuff up" when estimating how much life is in the universe.

tl;dr - lrn2science. And while you're at it, lrn2math too.

[Steven @ Jul 7th 2008 3:58PM]

"SETI.org is a ridiculous fantasy"

True, but not because of Drake. The problem is that we don't know what the signal (if any) is like, and the power will be too low to detect. The reason we could receive Pioneer 10's signals is that we know how it was coded, and we knew were Pioneer was. Under those circumstances it's possible to read a signal at a low -180dBm. (I still find it amazing, though! )
Expect signals from E.T. to be much lower. You can't read a signal at -300dBm.