Post by uforn on Aug 8, 2010 17:13:36 GMT 1
The best way to look for intelligent life
Canandaigua, N.Y. — I enjoyed Kevin Frisch’s article about unidentified falling objects (Daily Messenger, Aug. 1). He described some of the events of the supposed UFO crash in 1947 at Roswell, N.M. I’ve had a long-standing interest in astronomy and science fiction. The possibility of advanced aliens coming to visit us is immensely fascinating. However, stories of UFOs leave a bitter taste in my mouth since I was a witness to another famous one in Kecksburgh, Penn., in the 1960s. A large fireball was seen by thousands. Many thought it a comet but there were reports of a crash in Kecksburgh.
Going to college, about one hour from Kecksburgh, many students from my dorm and I went to the scene. We drove around, walked around and stayed for some time. Some of us were interviewed by reporters from KDKA-TV out of Pittsburgh. There was one state policeman and maybe a hundred or so of us spectators roaming around. We saw no military presence, no jeeps or flatbed trucks hauling glowing capsules away. We stayed at the sleepy town until they rolled up the sidewalks — there were no other cars, no other people walking around.
I was completely shocked to see several documentaries covering the story — nearly everything was made up. Several so-called reporters/investigators have vowed to interview all witnesses and get to the bottom of things. I contacted them but received no response. Apparently, they are selective in their investigation.
People say that with the billions of stars in our galaxy and the billions of galaxies that the Hubble telescope and other powerful telescopes are studying that there must be life out there. Indeed, more than 400 planets have been discovered around nearby stars, and Europe’s Kepler space mission is rumored to have discovered hundreds of Earth-like planets. Scientists have proved that Mars once had rivers, lakes and maybe oceans. Doesn’t that mean that life must be out there?
I like most other astronomers believe that life is probably quite widespread. However, most astronomers talk of simple life — similar to bacteria, algae, maybe insects. It seems Hubble and other telescopes have discovered many events that can sterilize planets — things like asteroid impacts, giant solar flares, busters, nova, etc.
In addition, thousands of curious people like me have been funding a research project known as SETI which has listened for messages from the heavens in millions of channels from nearly all visible stars for years. No signals have been received that indicate intelligence. I often wonder if the problem might be that once a world has intelligent life on it, that life does not last too long. How long will we last with our current toxic assault on our Earth?
People say, “But wouldn’t you want some advanced race to come down from the skies and show us how to cure disease, get lots of energy, and solve our problems?” Yes, but is it realistic? What if we do not like their answers? What if they say we should stop smoking and exercise? What if they say the answer is not in a pill?
As for me, I will continue trying to use the best satellites orbiting Mars to look for places where water may have existed. That is the best place, I think, for our automated machines to find proof of past or present life — humble as it is or may have been.
Jim Secosky is a former science teacher at Bloomfield Central School and amateur user of Hubble Space Telescope, Mars Global Surveyor, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE.
Source:
www.greecepost.com/opinion/x1028348502/Guest-essay-The-best-way-to-look-for-intelligent-life