Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
1–10 of 28 posts
Re: Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
#2Inventor of the "Drake equation" [0].
Re: Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
#3The Drake equation and the Fermi paradox are extremely fun and entertaining thought experiments.
Re: Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
#4Inventor of the "Drake equation" [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation
I'm sure he's much more known for this than for SETI contributions.
Re: Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
#5My favorite Drake story is the time when they were just starting SETI and thought they had found aliens at the second star they pointed at. Seriously, this reads like an old SF short story. Check it out.
Re: Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
#6His book is very approachable. It's wild, but apparently he just started writing the Drake Equation out at a (the first?) SETI discussion/meeting without much prior deliberation.
The world definitely needs more Frank Drakes. He will be missed.
Re: Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
#7My favorite Drake story is the time when they were just starting SETI and thought they had found aliens at the second star they pointed at. Seriously, this reads like an old SF short story. Check it out. http://www.bigear.org/vol1no1/ozma.htm
What a delightful slice of history!
Re: Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
#8RIP.
Some may see the Drake Equation as reductive, and that's kind of the point. Its simplicity makes it compelling: presenting the enormousness and diversity of the universe as a near infinitude that seems incapable of supporting only one planet full of life. It's also easily understood by anybody who can do basic math, with a 30-second explanation. You can make anyone think and make an informed guess on one of the most profound questions of all.
Here's hoping we prove his intuition right one day, I'm glad he lived to see so many advances in astronomy and physics, it must surely have felt like an unfolding of possibility to him.
Re: Frank Drake, astronomer famed for contributions to SETI, has died
#9Sad to hear. Amazing person and contributor to the field of radio SETI, hoping his family are doing ok during this tough time.