SETI hangs up the phone
By ParaTed2k
@ParaTed2k (22940)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
April 26, 2011 3:56am CST
Last one out of the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence Institute, turn off the radio telescopes. With the announcement that the Federal Government will no longer contribute to their budget, SETI has to turn out the lights.
Apparently the organization will still be intact, but there won't be enough funding to continue their search for radio transmissions in space.
It is mostly funded by private donations, but a significant amount of their budget does come from NASA, the US Geological Survey and other government departments.
While I do support them as an organization, and like the idea of searching for life on other planets, I have to agree with the government decision. This would definitely fall under the "non essential" category, and I think there are much more important uses for that money.
I'm hoping the private sector will step up and people who believe in SETI will be able to make up the difference. But for now, there's no reason to continue borrowing money from China and other investors to keep the telescopes humming.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_17926565?nclick_check=1
2 people like this
6 responses
@dark_joev (3034)
• United States
27 Apr 11
Well I think NASA is something we need to keep on the Budget as it is a very important thing if the Human Race wants to avoid an extenction event as for the SETI program it is something that hasn't yeilded much in the way of anything really of scientific importance and also no contact with any Alien Races.
But NASA is an important program and should continue as it has yielded advances in our understanding of the Universe and well if we where to face an Extinction Event it would be best if we didn't have to leave the planet on Chinese,Japanese and Russian Rockets to get to space. Which is what we will have to do if we cut the program completely. From what I heard they are no longer going to do any STS launches until like 2025 or something like that when we will have a new space shuttle to use. So until then all space flights will be with Russian Rockets and not American Built and Designed Rockets. So we will be paying Russia the Millions of dollars to send people into space. We will still launch Rockets but they will only be Robots like the Mars Rover.
NASA is an important part of the United States and also serves a purpose that could include National Defense from an untimely demise.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
27 Apr 11
Don't discount the growing private rocket industry. Where NASA has pretty much scrapped man space travel, private companies have grown and expanded.
@dark_joev (3034)
• United States
27 Apr 11
Yeah well private companies aren't as of yet as far as like Virgin near where NASA can go. I guess NASA will have to look for founding from other sources now which hopefully people listen to the likes of Stephen Hawking and others about how easy it would be to wipe the whole planet out.
@RebeccaScarlett (2532)
• Canada
30 Apr 11
It's never easy to decide what to cut, because there are always people who are passionate about every program. But cutting needs to happen, that's for sure. And just because something isn't essential doesn't mean it isn't worth pursuing...it just means that other things need to get taken care of and put in order first.
@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
26 Apr 11
I honestly thought they had given up SETI a few years ago. Someone must have saved it from the budget cuts once before.
I am sure that a lot of private individuals who were involved in this will still be listening but it's definitely not a budget priority given the state of the deficit and the economy.
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
26 Apr 11
This saddens me, too, but you are right about it not being essential. Bravo for whoever cut it from the budget.
The problem is, there was no risk cutting SETI. Is anyone brave enough to cut out funding for the NEA, the Smithsonian, Public television, or any of the other hundreds of programs that cater to the arts (which I would hate to see go but after all, they aren't essential) or to other special interests? What about overhauling the welfare system? The WIC program which many mothers don't need but accept anyway. There are a LOT of programs that aren't needed or are rife with fraud that need to be cut or overhauled. Will anyone be brave enough to do it?
