Listening for SETI a Research Adventure

space.com ^ | 08/13/09 | Vicente Gonzaga

[KevinDavis]

A flash.

Then complete darkness.

I swerve wildly on my rickety bike, skidding on a soaked, winding path, squeezing my eyes shut and opening them in an attempt to get my eyesight back. Just when I regain my bearings (but not quite my eyesight), a sharp crack! throws me off my seat. I land awkwardly and stumble as the two dogs (Peach and Jasmine) scurry away to avoid me.

Another flash sends them back up against my pant legs. They're shivering – fear? Cold? Probably both; thunderstorms aren't exactly great experiences for most non-humans, or most humans for that matter. Me, though - half blind and soaking wet, from the brim of my new baseball hat to the socks in my shoes? I allow myself a smile and continue my journey on foot to the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). It's what I deserve, really, for leaving the SETI truck there.

[KevinDavis]

For other space news go to: www.spacetoday.net

[Star Traveler]

And a bunch of “enviro-whackos” too....

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You should’ve seen Erin Lynch (Dr. Mancinelli’s REU student for this year’s program) when she caught me poking at the watermelon snow.

Erin: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
Me: *jumps* “Huh? What? Nothing.”
Erin: “Are you TOUCHING it?”
Me: *pokes the snow again* “Well, yeah-”
Erin: “NO! STOP! YOU’RE KILLING IT! They’re psychrophiles – they need cold temperatures to SURVIVE. Your finger is robbing them of their ideal temperature!”
Me: “OH CRAP.” *starts piling snow on top of touched area* “Okay, maybe I can make them cold again...”
Erin: “Annnnd now you’re blocking their sunlight. They’re green algae – they need to photosynthesize.”

A little bit of my childhood was shattered (especially in terms of miniature hillside streams and how I was committing genocide with my finger), but I learned a valuable lesson.

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LOL ...