SETI@Home News Vol. 126 16th - 22nd April 2011

ToxicTBag

ToxicTBag

ToxicTBag

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Looney :p

Was thinking more in terms of eye catching/informative, don't you just hate it when you forget you have left outlook open an email comes in off some looneytune and it catches you by suprise....i think i just jumped 3 ft :)
 

Marine Iguana

Marine Iguana

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The postman doth arrive :D

cpartcert1.php
 

Biffa

Biffa

Biffa

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DON'T PANIC! :D

From: Q&A About the ATA Shutdown

The news that the Allen Telescope Array has gone into "hibernation" due to lack of funds was broken by Scientific American. We've known that this was a possibility for quite a while, but are sorry to see it happen. Since there's an implied relationship between the SETI@home and the SETI Institute, I thought I would open a Q&A thread about this closure.

Q. How does this closure affect SETI@home?
A. It really doesn't. While some of our projects (Fly's Eye experiment) have used the ATA, SETI@home doesn't use any data from ATA. We also don't currently receive any funding from the SETI Institute, and are not affected by their budget.

Q. Why has the ATA closed?
A. The ATA has gone into hibernation due to lack of funding. ATA requires about $1.5M/yr for operations and an additional $1M/yr to support the SETI Institute's science programs. $2.5M/yr sounds like a lot, but the cost of one F/A-18 jet could fully fund that for 23.5 years.

Q. What do you mean by "hibernation"?
A. Hibernation is in between operational and fully shut down. In hibernation some systems necessary to keep the telescope healthy are still powered on. In a full shutdown, critical components would be removed from the telescope and put into storage to prevent damage. That would make restarting expensive. But keeping systems powered during hibernation is also expensive. If funding is not found, at some point the decision would be made to shut down completely.

Q. Have they asked NSF/NASA/Paul Allen/Rupert Murdoch/George Soros/Richard Branson/Bill Gates/Oprah?
A. I'm sure the answer to the first two is "yes." But the NSF and NASA have spent their money on new instruments and/or telescope arrays and are getting squeezed in other areas. The billionaires? I have no way of knowing. I know that I would have no way of getting in contact with any of them.

Q. Why don't you pool your resources with the SETI Institute's in order to save the telescope?
A. We don't have that kind of money. We're also on a very tight budget and will have enough difficulty keeping SETI@home in operation with our current funding.

Q. If you personally had the money to keep it operating, would you donate it?
A. Probably not. As envisioned, the 350 telescope ATA would have been a great instrument for SETI. But as it exists now, the 42 telescope ATA is less sensitive to SETI signals than Arecibo and takes longer to survey the same amount of sky. That doesn't mean it's inappropriate for anyone's research, it just doesn't fit the bill for mine.

The expansion to 350 telescopes will take much more money than the I will ever have known anyone who knows anyone who has. It may even approach the cost of that F/A-18. I'd love to see it happen, but I'm understandably pessimistic. If I were a billionaire and had 60 million burning a hole in my pocket, then I might fund the expansion. Assuming I didn't blow it all on ninja supermodel robots first.

Q. Will this be the end of the SETI Institute?
A. Not by a long shot. Remember the start of the SETI Institute what caused by the cancellation of all federal SETI funding. If the ATA closes down, I think the SETI Institute will just concentrate on making instrumentation that they can use on other telescopes.
Click to expand...
 
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ToxicTBag

ToxicTBag

ToxicTBag

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:eek::(:rolleyes::):D

Wow thats a relief, doesn't help that all my machines are in bits/transit and the first thing i seen was this am sure like life seti will find a way.
Keep the faith :)

Thought for one minute gtx 580's would have been reduced to playing solitaire :eek::D

Nice tiffy Mr marine sah! :D
 
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Biffa

Biffa

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Except that Seti@Home isnt linked to the SETI institute and "don't currently receive any funding from the SETI Institute, and are not affected by their budget."
 

loudbob

loudbob

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Oh Pants.......

I've dropped out of the Top Ten :(

And I still don't have any GPU Fire Power to make a come back........still no shiney stuff delivered and still no tracking details.

Well I hope you're all enjoying the peace and quiet without me........but hopefully, I will be making a come back (some time this year).
 

ToxicTBag

ToxicTBag

ToxicTBag

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Not to worry Mr Loudbob sah am sure you will make up for it, our rac rank has dropped 2 weeks on the trot ... sniff ... sob ... we could use your cycles this week ;):)
When you do come back its straight to bed, nay supper and your grounded for ... errr ... well Mr marine is in charge of punishment around here :p:D
 
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