Geek Out by taking the Mars Survival Challenge

Forget the challenging landscapes of the Arctic or Everest; if you want a true survival test, how about Mars? Our red neighbor has inspired thousands of intrepid explorers (and a number of awful movies) to formulate colonization plans. With a little help from Google Mars, you can choose plot near all the important landmarks: Valles Marineris, Olympus Mons, or even the famous northern polar ice caps.

Thanks to our friends at the Lawrence Hall of Science, you too can help the colonization effort. At their Geek Out event on 11/18, you’ll be able to design your own Mars Base. There will be experts on hand from the SETI Institute and NASA to provide some info on the Martian landscape and what it takes to survive there.

You’ll be able to videotape your landscape to share with the rest of the universe. Who knows, the first ever Martian colony could be named after you!

This is the 2^nd LHS Geek Out event, a new monthly science series for adults. The evening will be full of interactive science, music, and cocktails. There is also a free shuttle from the Downtown Berkeley BART to the museum. For a primer, check out this video from the 1^st Geek Out event.

LHS Geek Out: Mars Survival Challenge
When: Wednesday 11/18, 7-10 PM
Where: Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley
Cost: $10, $8 for members and UC Berkeley Students
Details: Come to Lawrence Hall of Science, grab a drink and a friend, and get ready for some downright nerdy fun. All events include full access to exhibits, a cash bar, hors d’oeuvres, and of course the best view in the East Bay. Program is for adults only.

The Allen Telescope Array.When I first began to work on Quest's SETI: The Search for ET segment, I have to admit that my initial reaction was "are we still looking for ET?" Of course, humans have been gazing up to the heavens for millennia, asking ourselves that interminable question "are we alone?" And of course, there's been a long line of increasingly sophisticated radio telescopes searching the skies for cosmic signs of intelligence. But hey, don't we at some point have to call it a day? Though I think most of us don't actually believe we're alone, the universe is really, really big. What chance do we have of finding ET?

Well, it turns out our chances are much better than I thought. Grote Reber began conducting sky surveys in the radio frequencies with his newly invented radio telescope in 1937, and detected the first signals from outer space in 1938. In the seven decades since then, we've seen a multitude of radio telescope designs pop up all over the world, but we still haven't gotten signals from any little green men. What I didn't understand, until I spoke to Jill Tarter and Seth Shostak at the SETI Institute, is that in all that time, we've hardly looked at any space at all.

Since SETI's first experiment in 1960 by Dr. Frank Drake, and until very recently, they've only looked at a thousand stars out of about 400 billion stars in our galaxy, and there are 100 billion other galaxies to look at! There are two reasons for this: 1) The radio telescopes they've been using can only look at narrow swaths of the sky, and 2) they've had to RENT time on other people's telescopes, which constrains their search and budget. Now, the new Allen Telescope Array is being built just for them, and with it they'll be able to capture millions of frequencies from multiple star systems simultaneously. It will be the biggest and fastest tool in the world for seeking signs of ET!

To learn why scientists use radio frequencies in the hunt for intelligent life, and to learn more about the history & future of the search, watch our story SETI: The Search for ET. You can also watch our extended interview with Astronomer Jill Tarter. And hey folks, the SETI Institute is a non-profit organization, so if you'd like to help them out with the search, consider adopting a scientist like Jill Tarter or Seth Shostak. Go to Adopt-a-Scientist, or join Jill's team and become a TeamSETI member at Join TeamSETI.
Also, check out U.C. Berkeley’s SETI@home page and turn your home computer into a tool that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data.

Watch SETI: The New Search for ET story online, as well as find additional links and resources.
Joan Johnson is an Associate Producer for QUEST on KQED Television.