Review: ‘Communications from superior galactic communities’ by Ronald Bracewell
29 Jul 2012, 02:19 UTC
[This post is the second in a series exploring major works in the field of space archaeology. Read the first part here.]
In 1959, Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison proposed what would become the mainstream strategy of the modern search for extraterrestrial intelligence: scanning for interstellar radio signals intentionally beamed towards the Solar system by advanced civilisations.
Ronald Bracewell of Stanford University, however, questioned some of the assumptions on which the nascent SETI program was founded:
that interstellar communication was only practical using electromagnetic waves;
that civilisations would transmit ‘on spec’ over geological timespans; and
that a civilisation would be close enough that we would be among its targets.
In late May, 1960, Nature published his response, ‘Communications from Superior Galactic Communities‘ (paywalled). In it, he suggested that a civilisation might ‘spray some number of suitable stars, say, one thousand, with modest probes … armoured against meteorites and radiation damage, and stellar powered.’
These would take up an orbit within a stellar habitable zone and either attempt to gain the attention of indigenous sophonts or listen for their transmissions and report back (a response might already be on the way, he suggests!). The latter is the premise for Arthur C. ...
