Is Anyone Out There? The Scientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence [Paperback]

Frank Drake (Author), Dava Sobel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0385311222 | ISBN-13: 978-0385311229 | Publication Date: June 1, 1994

Internationally known astronomer, Professor Frank Drake, has been scanning deepest space for more than 30 years, hoping to tune into an alien radio signal that could only come from an extraterrestrial intelligence. This book chronicles his work and discoveries.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

University of California astronomy and astrophysics professor Drake, aided by science journalist Sobel, responds to the title's classic question with an account of his career-long quest to gamer hard scientific data that might point to some answers. One of America's pioneer radio astronomers, Drake provides firsthand descriptions of breakthrough moments in the past 30 years of astrophysics-no encounters of any kind, just straightforward astrophysics with inconclusive experimental results. Drake's medium is science, his theory technical and his slightly anthropocentric conclusions more modest than those of the average UFO abductee. Readers wowed by Communion and Chariots of the Gods will not find a similar level of excitement here, but Drake and Sobel provide a detailed record of a group of scientists' thorough, determined efforts to detect the extraterrestrial transmissions they believe may very well be out there. BOMC and QPB selections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Drake (astronomy, Cornell Univ.) has spent over half his life looking for scientific evidence to support his hypothesis that alien civilizations exist and are probably trying to say "hello" to their neighbors. Drake began his search in 1959 with Project Ozma, using a radio telescope he set up in the hills of West Virginia. NASA will join the hunt in the fall of 1992 with its SETI Microwave Observing Project, marking the first coordinated effort to search for interstellar signals. Drake's memoirs, written with science journalist Sobel, provide a fascinating account of a scientist not afraid to probe the fringes of "respectable" science or to enlist the support of colleagues like Carl Sagan, Freeman Dyson, and Philip Morrison. While maintaining a skeptical attitude toward UFOs, he uses the "Drake Equation" to speculate that there may be as many as 100 million advanced extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy alone. David W. Swift's SETI Pioneers and First Contact , edited by Ben Bova and Byron Preiss (both LJ 4/1/90) nicely complement Drake's autobiography. Recommended for most libraries.
- Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Delta (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385311222
• ISBN-13: 978-0385311229
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,637,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great realistic introduction to S.E.T.I., July 3, 1999

By 

Ed Griffith (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Is Anyone Out There? (Paperback)

I am very weary of reading uninformed speculation about S.E.T.I. (search for extra terrestrial intelligence) or people's fantasies about alien abductions. There is a real need for books like this which are aimed at a general readership but written on a scientific basis. The reason this book is so interesting is it is by one of the founders of scientific S.E.T.I. who started the first modern search back in 1960. It allows the reader to follow the dramatic increases in technology as the search started out from a very simple beginning and progressed to the very sophisticated complex search it is today. It is also interesting because it is filled with stories of very human people trying something different for the first time. Alas, the book ends in the early 1990s so you do not hear about more recent endeavors, such as the S.E.T.I. League or seti@home. It is also somewhat sad to read his high hopes on getting N.A.S.A. funding knowing in retrospect that it was cut shortly after the book was published, though he managed to keep the search going by privatizing it. I believe the reality is S.E.T.I. is probable a multi-generational search. It is always faster to get a book through amazon.com if available, but the S.E.T.I. Institute also offers this book with the author's signature.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Greater Discovery for the People of Planet Earth, January 9, 2004

By 

Stephen Pletko "Uncle Stevie" (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Is Anyone Out There? The Scientific Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Paperback)

+++++

This book tells us the fascinating history of the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI). In addition, this is a science book, explaining the science that's needed to undertake such a challenging task (a task similar to "hunting for a needle in a cosmic haystack"). Lastly, this is an autobiographical book that profiles the life of coauthor Dr. Frank Drake (born: 1930), the first person in human history to use a radio telescope to search for other civilizations in space and who is now known as "the father of SETI." (The other coauthor of this book is best-selling author Dava Sobel).

What struck me when reading this book (first published in 1992) was Drake's unyielding enthusiasm for the strong possibility of discovering signals from an extraterrestrial civilization. In fact, he states, "This discovery...I fully expect to witness before the year 2000." The fact that a signal has not been detected "simply mean[s] that we [have] not looked long enough or hard enough."

Here's just some of what you'll learn about when reading this book:

(1) Project Ozma (performed in 1960) which was "the first modern radio search for extraterrestrial signals of intelligent origin."
(2) The creation of the Drake Equation in 1961 which is a "formula for estimating the number of advanced intelligent civilizations" in the Galaxy.
(3) SETI and the Soviets.
(4) Interstellar travel versus interstellar radio communication.
(5) The intriguing WOW! signal which was detected in 1977 (a signal that has never been repeated and is the best evidence for extraterrestrial intelligence).
(6) A radio message sent out by Drake and others in 1974 to hopefully be detected by other intelligent civilizations.
(7) What will happen if signals are detected and the profound significance of such signals for the people of planet Earth.

In addition, this book has, what I call, a "SETI glossay". Here, you'll find a list of defined terms that are unique to SETI.

Also, there are three appendices. In these, you'll discover that there has been nearly sixty projects or searches (up to 1992) for signals since the first project of 1960. As well, I was amazed at how many respected scientists from many disciplines were/are connected directly or indirectly with SETI. Some names include Carl Sagan, Freeman Dyson, Francis Crick (Noble Prize winner), Stephen Hawking, Fred Hoyle, and Linus Pauling (two-time Nobel Prize winner). From seeing these names I thus have to agree with Drake when he says that "SETI is considered mainstream science."

There are thirty black-and-white photographs located near the center of the book. Many are photos of those people who have been or now are deeply involved with SETI.

Finally, the SETI Institute (located in Mountain View, California), as this book explains, was founded in late 1984. Its "mission is to explore, understand, and explain the origin, nature, prevalence, and distribution of life in the universe." As well, this institute has a website making it possible for people who have internet access to stay up-to-date with what's happening in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

In conclusion, if you can obtain a copy of this unique book, you will discover that "SETI is...the most technical of scientific subjects, and also the most human."

+++++

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A insider's historical account of SETI., February 18, 2000

By 

Carbon Klein - See all my reviews

This review is from: Is Anyone Out There? (Paperback)

Basically, my title says it all...this book seems almost like a biographical account of Frank Drake's career as a radio astronomer. Great if you're into that...less great if you bought the book thinking about ETs. Since this book is out of print, may I instead, recommend Paul Davies' "Are We Alone? The Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Intelligence."