Reaching Out, Finding Life Out There

WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY NOW to reach out and find extraterrestrial life; we don't have to wait until it comes and finds us. That's the message of space scientists testifying before a congressional subcommittee the other day. We have the technology, but it isn't free, and it will be necessary to obtain government funding to development and implement it. That was the complete message. This message contains the implication that scientists are now absolutely sure that there is life out there, in abundance, because, over the past few years, thousands of planets have been discovered, orbiting other stars, and the search is just beginning. And all this is true. Every day new planets are being discovered, many which resemble earth in size. This is happening by using new and improved telescopes, and, there is really no limit to how much telescopes can be improved in the furute, other than our desire to do so, to spend the money. The amount of money is unclear, but is probably in the millions of dollars, but maybe not billions. We've always assumed that the human race would first make contact with extraterrestrials, if we ever do, by having them come to us, either with a signal, or in a spcaecraft. Never could we have imagined that we, with our technology, might actually reach out on our own and find life. But now it seems we might. Part of the budget, if there is one, would include money invested in radio telescopes for the purpose of listening for radio signals on all frequencies coming from any or all parts of the sky, which is a big job. And we must remember that every day people walk into congress asking for money for this project or that projcet, an endless stream of projects, each one absolutely necessary and irrestable and vitally important. But this one might be the real thing. That is, if we want to do it.