Zuckerman, Ben UCLA
<p>Nov 4, 2009 10:07 AM</p>
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11/4/2009</p>
<h3 class="lecture-title">The search for intelligent life in the Universe: some great challenges for SETI
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<p><strong>Ben Zuckerman</strong>, Physics and Astronomy Department, UCLA
The union of space telescopes and interstellar spaceships guarantees that if technological extraterrestrial civilizations were nearby or common, then someone would have come here long ago. Dr. Ben Zuckerman will discuss how construction of telescopes such as <b>NASA's proposed Terrestrial Planet Finder enormously strengthens the force of arguments against the existence of nearby intelligent civilizations</b></p>
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Note: Physics major (course 8) at MIT grad in 1963.; aero/astro masters 1963 MIT; PhD Astronomy Harvard 1968.</p>
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Main interest: origin and evol of planetary systems</p>
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*
not much fun ... boring ...</p>
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First slide: Space Aliens Zap Facility
Brzen Enough to destroy a government research facility Natl Enquirer abt Frank Drake's first attempt at West Virgina facil.</p>
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two kinds of planets:</p>
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Gas giants: H2 is 82% and He 18% as in Jupiter</p>
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Rocky Planets: Venus 96% Co2; HR 8799 has planetary system it is only 60 MY old.</p>
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we have NO direct images of rocky planets. Solar System diameter is abt 20 AU;</p>
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Herschel Telescope</p>
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Earth is 1010 fainter than the sun at optical wavelengths.</p>
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and is 106 fainter in IR.</p>
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At 10 pc, separ btwn earth and Sun is only .1 seconds.</p>
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TPF and Darwin (ESA) planned but not funded.</p>
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Look at earth's atmosphere ... way out of equilibr ... much more methane (cow farts)
bovine flatulence; from 1.3 B. cows; N2O, CH4, O3 ozone water vapor ... all evid of life</p>
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to do TPF mission can block light from star with a central occulter placed perhaps a million miles away
that works but can't steer it around to look at other stars.</p>
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Use interferometer... get destruc interference at star and construc at planet.</p>
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New Worlds Imager. qv v cool.</p>
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1st gen might see get spectyrum of atmos</p>
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laster versions would see ocean/ continents; seasonal variations; ; LT vegetation patterns</p>
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Suppose TPF is + (ie sees an earthlike atmosphere ) THEN WHAT???</p>
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1) do nothing for a million years or
2) send a space ship.</p>
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Say TPF + and SETI _- .
Penelope Boston ... "burning need to explore life elsewhere.</p>
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Most life does not do radiotelescopes (microbes)</p>
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1998 Cal Tech Conf NASA JPL Robotic Interstellar Explor
how to get a look at a living world.</p>
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West Virgina Telescope fell to pieces (windstorm)</p>
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Chemical rockets are full of sound and fury signifying nothing.</p>
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Project Orion: nuclear power rocket : toss em out, blow em up to hit pusher plate in back. Freman Dyson
use it to carry embryos or zygotes to distant world.</p>
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EM mass driver to shoot pellers to hit pusher plate.</p>
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One of his slides is a photo of a hand drawn diagram (easy way to make a power point)</p>
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To slow down can use reflectors that are launded in front.</p>
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Cambrian trilobites</p>
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Permian Triassic Jurassic Cretaaceous Tertiary</p>
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He had simulated TPF image of the earth with 10 by 10 pixels in color... 100 pixels ...
we will be able to do that easily within 100 years.</p>
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His main poiint... WE can see living worlds therefore THEY CAN easily see us, if they're close by
thereforer why aren't ehy here!</p>
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His argument
1) All civilizations build TPF's
2) ETs are curious abt both simple and technical life
3) once they ID living worlds then they build spaceships to come here.</p>
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But they're not here.</p>
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Earth has had oxygenic atmos for > 2 BIL yrs.</p>
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During that time millions of stars have drifted close to us but no one has come here.
That proves they don't exist he says.</p>
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TPF + spaceships implies they should have come here and be here still... they're not;
therefore they don't exist.</p>
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Therefoere, only makes sense to to look for really distant ET's</p>
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and it will be be lucky is we detect them since they are not xmiting in our direction.</p>
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He thinks living worlds are few and far btwn;</p>
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he thinks even simple life is uncommon.
My Q: Why; estimate Drake factors... he did NOT eleaborate... not his field;</p>
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First Q: Why would ET have stayed here rather than just exploring.
His A: Polynesians explored and stayed... its expensive ... so u stay.</p>
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If SETI succeeds (he says) it must have really long L.</p>
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we now spend 1 Tr bucks per year on arms race; why not spend it on TPF 5 Bil only.</p>
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Can make pellet gun for only 10 Trillion</p>
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CARL PILCHER ! Great Actor Theory of history has been rejected (google Hegle's Theory of History and Bonaparte)
Carl said this has been disproven;
Carl says is not single great individuals -- its human culture activing over time.</p>
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Look for BEACONS from the ETs</p>
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How abt us creating a beacon ... BZ asys baby civilizations likeout should not be burdened with doing that
the old ones should be doing it.</p>
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A comment from the audience Absence of Evidence is not Evidnec of Absence.</p>
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Lithosphere cud have wiped out evidnece.</p>
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Bracewell probe.</p>
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Q: robot exploration</p>
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frank@heile.org ... great guy.... he thinks exactly like me... MIT undergrad (many of use there)
Frank lives in Sunnyvale; worked at Alterra; retired a few yrs ago;
He goes to a conference in Tucson... Towrds a Science of Consciousness
Penrose and Hameroff.</p>