Project Cyclops, A Design... - Department of Earth and Planetary ...

perhapsdecadesand possiblycenturies.To
undertakesoenduringa programrequiresnot
only that thesearchbe highlyautomated, it
requiresalongtermfundingcommitment. This
in turn requires faith. Faith that the quest is
worth the effort, faith that man will survive to
reap the benefits of success, and faith that other
races are, and have been, equally curious and
determined to expand their horizons. We are
almost certainly not the first intelligent species
to undertake the search. The first races to do so
undoubtedly followed their listening phase with
long transmission epochs, and so have later races
to enter the search. Their perseverance will be
our greatest asset in our beginning listening
phase.
13. The search for extraterrestrial intelligent life is a
legitimate scientific undertaking and should be
included as part of a comprehensive and balanced
space program. We believe that the exploration
of the solar system was and is a proper initial
step in the space program but should not be
considered its only ultimate goal. The quest for
other intelligent life fires the popular imagination
and might receive support from those critics who
now question the value of landings on "dead"
planets
and moons.
14. A great deal more study of the problem and of
the optimum system design should precede the
commitment to fund the search program. However,
it is not too early to fund these studies.
Out of such studies would undoubtedly emerge a
system with greater a capability-to-cost ratio
than the first Cyclops design we have proposed.
15. The existence of more than one Cyclops-like
system has such great value in providing complete
sky coverage, continuous reception of
detected signals, and in long base-line studies,
that international cooperation should be solicited
and encouraged by complete dissemination of
information. The search should, after all, represent
an effort of all mankind, not just of one
country.
The above conclusions are the consensus of the
Cyclops system group after studying the reports of the
Antenna, Receiver, Transmission and Control, and Data
Processing system design groups. While many in these
groups would agree with the conclusions stated above,
others might disagree with certain points and it would be
unfair to represent these points as a unanimous consensus
of the entire team, the same comments apply to the
recommendations, which follow.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I. Establish the search for extraterrestrial intelligent
life as an ongoing part of the total NASA space
program, with its own budget and funding.
2. Establish an office of research and development
in techniques for communication with extraterrestrial
intelligence. Appoint a director and a
small initial staff.
3. Take steps to protect the "water hole." Through
the FCC and corresponding international agencies,
use of the spectrum from 1.4 to 1.7 GHz should
be limited to interstellar communication purposes.
The hydrogen line is already protected. All
that is needed is to extend this protection upward
in frequency to include the hydroxyl line.
4. Establish, perhaps through the National Academies
of Science and Engineering, an advisory
committee consisting of interested astronomers,
radio astronomers, engineers, physicists,
exobiologists, and appropriate specialists. The
advisory committee should have the initial responsibility
for reviewing the available material
on the subject, including this report, and of
recommending an appropriate course of action.
Assuming the committee concurs that further
investigations should be undertaken, it should
have the responsibility to see that the necessary
preliminary scientific studies and engineering
design and development are carried out in an
orderly manner over a 3 to 5 year period.
5. Make use of outside study contracts initially, but
gradually build up internal design and system
analysis teams to provide competent contract
review and creative in-house (NASA) leadership.
6. As the various systematic and strategic problems
of the search yield to continued study and the
overall feasibility approaches general acceptability,
begin a series of releases to the scientific
community and to the general public to stimulate
interest in, and appreciation of, the value of
the search.
7. Establish at the outset a policy of open liaison
with comparable groups in other countries, that
there be no classified information and that all reports
be publicly available.
8. When all systemic and strategic problems have
been solved, a go-no-go decision must be made. If
"go", then political support must be obtained for
the funding. The funding must be on a long term
basis so that construction, once started, is not
interrupted and can proceed in an orderly way.
9. Make it clear that the system will be available for
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