Uploaded May 2013 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
April 23, 2008
Dr. Jill Tarter (SETI Institute)
Dr. Tarter was the leader of the main project looking for radio signals from alien civilizations (she was also the model for the character Jodie Foster played in the movie "Contact.") She discusses the latest tools and plans in this quest, as digital technologies make possible huge improvements in our search systems. The Allen Telescope Array, being constructed in Northern California, is the most powerful tool for finding SETI signals ever built. It is an innovative radio telescope assembled from a large number of small dishes, using consumer off-the-shelf technologies whenever possible to minimize costs and extend our ability to find faint signals from inhabited planets among the stars.
April 23, 2008
Dr. Jill Tarter (SETI Institute)
Dr. Tarter was the leader of the main project looking for radio signals from alien civilizations (she was also the model for the character Jodie Foster played in the movie "Contact.") She discusses the latest tools and plans in this quest, as digital technologies make possible huge improvements in our search systems. The Allen Telescope Array, being constructed in Northern California, is the most powerful tool for finding SETI signals ever built. It is an innovative radio telescope assembled from a large number of small dishes, using consumer off-the-shelf technologies whenever possible to minimize costs and extend our ability to find faint signals from inhabited planets among the stars.
