Microsoft's Paul Allen Funds ET Search

Chris Gondek writes "Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, one of the richest men on Earth, today pledged to donate $US13.5 million ($17.99 million) for research into extra-terrestrial life. With the contribution, Allen will have given $US25 million ($33.32 million) for construction of the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), a network of 350 radio telescopes being built to find signs of life in space, said Thomas Pierson, director of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute."

Comments

the rest of this huge article:

[Anonymous Coward]

The radio telescopes will measure the density of the early universe, the formation of stars and magnetic fields.

They will also be capable of searching for "possible signals from technologically advanced civilisations elsewhere in the galaxy," according to a SETI statement.

The announcement of Allen's donation coincided with the completion of the project's research and development phases, which Allen funded with an $US11.5 million ($15.33 million) donation.

The $US13.5 million donation will pay for the first two phases of construction of the ATA, according to the statement.

One network of 32 telescopes will be available for research by the end of 2004 and the entire network of 350 telescopes will be completed "late in the decade," it said.

SETI and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory of the University of California at Berkley teamed up for the ATA project.

"I am very excited to be supporting one of the world's most visionary efforts to seek basic answers to some of the fundamental question about our universe and what other civilisations may exist elsewhere," Allen said in a ceremony in Mountain View, California, where SETI is based.

Just...

[Bishop, Martin]

A little interesting... What does SETI.org run?

Re:and meanwhile....

[yulek]

Paul Allen gives to education, medical research, arts and music, etc.

Should not say "Microsoft's Paul Allen"

[angle_slam]

For those who don't know, Paul Allen co-founded MSFT with Bill Gates back in 1975. He left the company in 1983 due to health reasons (Hodgkins Disease), though he kept much of his stock holdings and a seat on the Board of Directors. He later became a "Senior Strategy Advisor" to MSFT after he left the Board, though it is not clear that he still has that position with MSFT.

While Paul Allen was an integral part of the formation of MSFT, he has had little say in the Windows era of the company and I don't think it is correct to say "Microsoft's Paul Allen".

Re:Where is article writed located?

[whorfin]

$ means "dollars"

In Mexico, $ means Pesos...

In fact, it means Pesos pretty much everywhere, as well as Reals (Brazil)