November 01, 2010

SETI Archive: seti.org/talks

The U.S. Navy is developing a Free Electron Laser with MW-level average output power, as reported in a recent National Academy Report.* Several scientific space applications appear to be interesting and feasible, including power beaming to satellites, space stations, or space vehicles. New proposals also include scientific investigation of the moon and nearby planets using an FEL stationed on earth, but capable of illuminating small areas of these objects with light spectrally brighter than the sun, permitting direct observations at tunable, selectable wavelengths. It also appears possible to use such an FEL to send detectable signals out to 50 light-years or more, conceivably providing communications capability across such distances. Invoking the concept of reciprocity, it could be we should be looking for such signals from intelligent civilizations on exoplanets. A plan for such exploration is suggested.
* Scientific Assessment of High-Power Free Electron Laser Technology, National Academy of Sciences, Board on Physics and Astronomy Report (2009)

1. Dale Cruikshank: Outer Solar System Ices
2. Adrian Brown: Poles of Mars
3. Bruce Damer: Simulating Life's Origin
4. Laurance Doyle: Mongolian and other Historic Solar Eclipses
5. Daniel Rasky: Augustine Commission - The Way Forward on US Manned Spaceflight
6. Sergei Dubovsky: Observing String Multiverse with Astrophysical Black Holes
7. Conny Aerts - Asteroseismology
8. Carol Stoker - Phoenix Mission and Habitability
9. ames Benford - Interstellar Beacons
10. Brad Bailey - Life in Basaltic Glass in the oceanic basins
11. Nancy McKeown: Mawrth Vallis, Mars
12. Bob Pappalardo: Europa Jupiter Orbiter
13. David Jewitt:- Solar System Primordial Ice Reservoirs
14. Harry Jones: Starship Life Support
15. Jeff Moore: Mysteries on Titan
16. Farid Salama: Interstellar Clouds
17. Mark Showalter: Marine Biodiversity
18. Jen Blank: ChemCam on Mars Science Lab Rover
19. Pete Worden, Pavel Podvig, Will Marshall: Nuclear Weapons and Space Weapons
20. Samantha Blair: Interstellar Medium Interference
21. Jon Jenkins: Kepler Worlds
22. Dan Lubin: Maunder Minimum
23. Monika Kress: Habitable Planets
24. Intersection of Physics and Biology - Jan Liphardt
25. Mark Marley: Atmospheres of Brown Dwarfs and Exoplanets
26. Sarah Church: Polarized Cosmic Microwave Background
27. Peter Jenniskens: Hayabusa Reentry
28. Don Lowe: Late Heavy Bombardment
29. Mark Krumholz: Star Formation Rate
30. Heather Knutson: Exoplanet Atmospheres
31. David Des Marais: Exploring Mars for Habitable Environments
32. Ralph Lorenz: Titan Unveiled
33. REU Students Review 2010
34. Nick Kanas: Psychology of Spaceflight
35. Rus Belikov: Beyond Kepler - Imaging Exo-Earths
36. Bill Colson: Free Electron Laser Communications
37. David Korsmeyer: NASA Future Human Missions
38. Pascal Lee: Haughton-Mars Project
39. Chris McKay: Titan - Past, Present, Future
40. Nathalie Cabrol: Lakes on Mars
41. Margarita Marinova: Martian Dichotomy
42. Ellen Howell: Radar videos of asteroids

Carl Sagan Center/SETI Institute Colloquium Series

Attend a colloquium! They are FREE, open to the public and held from noon to 1pm, every Wednesday at the SETI Institute, 515 N. Whisman Road, Mountain View, California.