2007-12-23 02:37:48 · 27 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It is not a waste at all.
We may eventually find that we are not alone in this universe, and be so humbled by it that we may even find peace with ourselves.
2007-12-23 02:50:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No more than it's a waste of time and resources to listen for signals from intelligent life on this planet. The Universe is bigger--there is tremendous hope there.
2007-12-23 02:44:59 · answer #2 · answered by Edenia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The SETI program is the one you are probably referring to. It has been running in one form or another since the early 1960s. The early efforts look extremely crude by today's standards and we are not surprised that nothing was heard in the early days. The continuation and improvement alone implies that SETI will continue to expand and improve thereby increasing our chances of detecting fainter and fainter signals assuming that such signals exist.
The cost of SETI is miniscule compared to what gets spent on other research programs, not to mention other more questionable pursuits.
Suppose we detect a signal. Two way comms will be nigh impossible, but on a sufficiently high bandwidth channel it is conceivable that an electronic artifact could be downloaded that contains the sum total of the knowledge of a distant and advanced civilisation. Such a download would be of immense value to us. You could try looking up "Bracewell Probe" in wiki. The artifact that I am describing would be a sort of "virtual Bracewell Probe" (A Bonnechappe probe?).
If no signal is ever detected then it tells us that there is noone else out there. A profound discovery indeed. Our world is then unique, and we have even more reason to look after it as there aint any more.
2007-12-23 12:22:48 · answer #3 · answered by Quadrillian 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No its not a waste, Man has had a mind for quest for ages and now we have the means to listen and as Brant said we know it wont happen overnight so we must keep listening to see if in fact others are there, its a big place and takes a long time to travel this far, heck it could be hundreds of years before and if we hear anything,
2007-12-23 02:55:42 · answer #4 · answered by SPACEGUY 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely not. In the perspective of the global economy, the money spent on SETI efforts is next to nothing, the energies exerted are all being provided by willing (and eager) participants, and the potential upsides to the project are such that it would be foolish NOT to pursue such an effort, given that we have the technology.
Chances that anything will come of it are very slim, but the chance that we are alone in the Universe is pretty close to zero, if you think about it logically.
2007-12-23 02:47:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. At any rate, the expense is tiny compared to things like pet food sales, or government waste or sales of 'X-factor' merchandise, etc. Receiving a signal or not teaches us much about the universe around us, so it's not a 'waste of time and resources'.
2007-12-23 02:41:57 · answer #6 · answered by someone else 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The scientists be better listening to sounds from space instead of inventing more weapons of destruction.
Good for them and good for us.
may be Accidentally they'll be able discover a few new things about the universe if not an intelligent alien civilization.
2007-12-23 02:51:50 · answer #7 · answered by Fantail Flycatcher 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I disagree with the poster above that people who spend their free time doing so are "wasting" their time because they aren't getting paid. If they are passionate about what they're doing and it's exciting to volunteer, why is it a waste of time? Is making art a waste of time if you're not paid? (I know people who would say yes to that, but they're not the people I guide my life by.) Passion for what you do can be payment in itself, as well as finding yourself in company with people who share that passion.
If you're asking about government or private organizations' efforts to seek out these signals, I imagine the cost of those efforts are far smaller than the costs of senseless governmental waste (in terms of throwing money down a hole, steering governmental contracts, pork projects, etc) or the costs of the war. I'm not lying awake worrying about the costs of that one effort, and it may well pay off someday.
2007-12-23 02:48:03 · answer #8 · answered by Illyria 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My computer has been running the SETI program since 1999. I only don't run it when I am on holiday when I switch everything off I also run Climate Prediction and 2 medical projects designing new proteins to help fight diseases.
While the computer is running, it may as well be doing something useful. My husband's laptop runs the programs too.
2007-12-23 03:38:39 · answer #9 · answered by freethinker 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmm??!... iDK how to decode signals from outer space, for me it will be like listening to the sounds of crickets, lizards & the ticking of the clock. So totally a waste of time for ordinary me!
:)
P.s
Assuming there is an intelligent life in the universe, I guess why wont they try to communicate with us using any of our planet earth language? Just wonderin'
2007-12-23 02:44:48 · answer #10 · answered by Nna g 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only if we can find convincing evidence to suggest that we are the only intelligent life in the entire universe.
2007-12-23 02:43:48 · answer #11 · answered by Nature Boy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋