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Arecibo Observatory Facing Massive Budget Cuts
SirLurksAlot writes "Many supporters of the SETI@home project have recently received a message informing them of impending budget cuts for the Arecibo Observatory and asking them to show their support for the project by writing to Congress. The letter also informs supporters that there are currently two bills (Senate bill 2862 sponsored by Senator Hillary Clinton, and a similar House bill, H.R. 3737), which are intended to secure funding for the project. According to The Planetary Society, the current plan for the Arecibo Observatory involves cutting funding by more than 60% from $10.4 million to just $4 million by 2011."
Good. Maybe soon, all the BOINC users wasting time searching for non-existent aliens will move on to something useful!
Won't work. They'll say "we're saving money by buying fewer bombs."
Next fiscal year: "We're buying fewer bombs to save money, but since we're buying fewer of them, they need to be larger to do the same job. We need a few billion more."
Next fiscal year (2): "Those bigger bombs need a new delivery system, so we've ordered production of a new bomber. We need $200 billion more."
Next fiscal year (3): "We're going to make the bombs smaller to save money."
Next fiscal year (4): "Those smaller bombs need a new delivery system, so we've ordered production of a new bomber. We need $400 billion more."
Next fiscal year (5): "We're going to make the bombs do extra duty by making a version that fits on cruise missiles. This will save us billions from losses due to bombers getting shot out of the sky delivering them. $500 billion, please."
Next fiscal year (6): "We need a new type of submarine to deliver those modified cruise missles. $1 Trillion please."
Next fiscal year (7): "We're going to save money by combining submarines and bombers into a joint services vehicle - a bomber-submarine. This forward-looking high-tech plan will allow lots of economies, as one vehicle can be used by both the navy and the air force. $5. Trillion"
Next fiscal year (8): "After all the redesign work, we're happy to say the bomber-submarine is a success. Unfortunately, design modifications meant that there is no room to actually carry bombs, so the bomber-sub is being re-tasked as a stealth observation platform. We need to develop new delivery vehicles to actually deliver the bombs. This will be a steal, at only $3 Trillion"
Next fiscal year (9): "Consider this a military coup. You will be allowed to stay on as long as you help us maintain the peace. We need extra funds to hire the extra manpower to help crush the tax-payer revolts. Sign here."
Well, a Nobel prize is useful for the cash it provides to the winner, but the question certainly meant what useful things has it produced for the world at large? Did knowledge of some light-years-distant binary solve world hunger, and no one was told about it?
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
....SETI went through their entire spectrum twice and hasn't found anything yet.....
And they never will. The probability, by statistical calculations, that there is another planet such as the earth, capable of supporting physical, intelligent life is essentially zero.
Alone the spacing of stars disqualifies half of all stars in all galaxies from hosting a planet like ours. Factors such as star spectrum and star mass, planet mass and distance to star, composition, rotation, nearly circular orbit, magnetic field and other parameters must all be met, in order for a planet to have life as we know it. Complex physical life MUST be carbon based, because the binding energies of other possible chemistries, such as silicon are too strong for really the complex structures needed for life.
It appears that our solar system and earth itself were carefully engineered to be able to sustain life. It is clearly evident that if the calculations for the probability for having another planet like ours are made, taking into account all the above and other factors, the truth expressed by the prophet Isaiah comes forcefully to mind:
Isaiah 45:18 For so says the LORD the Creator of the heavens, He is God, forming the earth and making it; He makes it stand, not creating it empty, but forming it to be inhabited. I am the LORD, and there is no other.
SETI is a huge, colossal waste of money. At least though this particular waste of money doesn't get people killed, such as war does.
All theory is gray