NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #16/NN_1992_16.iso/spool/sci/misc/1390

Internet Message Format | 1992-07-26 | 13.9 KB

Xref: sparky sci.misc:1390 sci.astro:8336
Path: sparky!uunet!ogicse!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu![e-mail]
From: [e-mail] (Stuart A Kingsley)
Newsgroups: sci.misc,sci.astro
Subject: Second Call For Papers - SPIE Optical SETI Symposium
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 26 Jul 92 16:35:48 GMT
Article-I.D.: magnus.CMM.0.90.2.712168548.skingsle
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: The Ohio State University
Lines: 300


                FIRST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON OPTICAL SETI

                            SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS

                    New Abstract Due Date: August 15, 1992


 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
 * NOTICE TO STUDENTS, FACULTY AND SCIENTIFIC/ENGINEERING ESTABLISHMENTS:  *
 *                                                                         *
 * Please make a hardcopy of this "Call for Papers" and post to the notice *
 * boards in your Physics, Astronomy, Engineering, and Biological Sciences *
 * faculties.  You are also encouraged to remail this material to anyone   *
 * you know who has an interest in the scientific activity called SETI.    *
 * Members of Congress and the printed/electronic media are encouraged to  *
 * send representatives to attend this symposium, so that they can become  *
 * better informed about all aspects of the electromagnetic search for     *
 * extraterrestrial intelligence.                                          *
 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Dear Colleague,

I would like to invite your participation in the SPIE (Society of
Photographic & Instrumentation Engineers) Free-Space Laser Communications
Symposium V that will include a special one day session devoted to THE
SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE (SETI) IN THE OPTICAL SPECTRUM,
otherwise known as OPTICAL SETI.

Some of you will have been contacted by me previously and have been sent a
PC-compatible diskette with an ASCII version of my 138-page January EJASA
(ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF THE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE ATLANTIC) article on
Optical SETI.  From this article, you will be aware that for about two years
now I have been "lobbying" the scientific community to reconsider the merits
of the optical approach to SETI.  Because SETI has been claimed by radio
astronomers and scientists and not by optical astronomers and optoelectronic
engineers, we have a dichotomy within the Space Program.  One branch of NASA
declares that free-space laser communications is the desirable form of
communications for the next generation of deep-space probes, while the other
branch wants us to believe that ETIs would not use this technology for
interstellar communications!

As a result of this marketing of the optical approach to SETI, I have been
asked by Dr. David Begley (Ball Aerospace Corporation and chairman of
previous SPIE Free-Space Laser Communications Symposiums) to organize the
first Optical SETI session for an SPIE symposium.  This will also be the
first conference ever on just this subject for laser communication
scientists and engineers.  It is fitting that the first professional
discussion of optical interstellar communications with ETIs should be at a
symposium previously known for promoting more down to earth terrene
communications!  A provisional program of Optical SETI presentations follow.

Noted author, Arthur C. Clarke (with whom I have an association going back
twenty years), has agreed to participate in this conference.  Unfortunately,
due to his poor health, it is not possible for him to travel extensively
these days.  So we will try to arrange an Intelsat link in order that Arthur
can give his keynote address live from Sri Lanka.  At a minimum, Arthur C.
Clarke will participate via video-tape message and telephone.

The OE/LASE '93 Free-Space Laser Communications V Symposium, will be held on
16-23 January 1993 in Los Angeles.  The Optical SETI session will be held at
the Hilton Airport Hotel, probably on Friday, January 22.  Although the
advertized OE/LASE '93 abstract due date is June 29, because of the late
decision to host such the Optical SETI session and this being the vacation
season, the due date for the Optical SETI abstract is now August 15.  The
manuscript due date is still December 21.  The Proceedings of the Free-Space
Laser Communication Symposiums typically run to about 600-700 pages.  Papers
submitted for presentation at this conference will be reviewed by the
program committee prior to acceptance.  Please indicate your preference on
the abstract for either "Oral Presentation" of evening "Poster
Presentation".

Please respond before August 15 if you wish to participate as an author, and
if so, with a title, 500 word abstract and 50 to 100 word biography
(principal author only).  To speed matters up, you may fax the information
to me on [phone] via my phone/fax line-manager and then send four
copies of the abstract via the mail to SPIE.  Communications can also be
sent via my computer bulletin board system (BBS) on [phone] or via
internet at [e-mail].  I would also be interested
to know whether you and your colleagues would be inclined to attend this
session, even if not authors or co-authors.  If you signify your intention
to attend, and email or fax me your address, I can ensure that SPIE will
send you the full program announcement when it becomes available in early
September.

It is my intention to develop a broad-based constituency for Optical SETI as
rapidly as possible.  To this end, I am presently having discussions with
publication houses for the first book on Optical SETI, though it is likely
that SPIE would itself be the publisher.  Please bear this in mind, since
your manuscript or an extended version could later well form a contributing
chapter for such a book.  To complement such a publication on Optical SETI,
some papers from the other sessions of the Free-Space Laser Communications
Symposium, which present details about NASA's present optoelectronics and
free-space laser communication activities, may also be included.  I look
forward to the day when Optical SETI has its own dedicated conference, i.e.,
the First International Conference on Optical SETI, and becomes part of the
main-stream of terrene SETI activities.

For some, this historical symposium will present the opportunity to turn
laser swords into SETI or CETI plowshares.  To others, this will present the
opportunity to participate in a great adventure - to help answer the age old
question "Are We Alone?".

Stuart Kingsley



                                 OE/LASE '93

                      FREE-SPACE LASER COMMUNICATIONS V


SPIE's International Symposium on Lasers, Sensors, and Applications.

Date:
16-23 January 1993.

Location:
Los Angeles Airport Hilton and Airport Marriott Hotels, Los Angeles,
California, USA.

Conference Chairs:
G. Stephen Mecherle (TRW Inc.), Michael A. Krainak (NASA/Goddard Space
Flight Ctr.).

Conference Program Committee:
David L. Begley (Ball Aerospace Systems Group), Don M. Boroson (Lincoln
Lab./MIT), Timothy Busch (Rome Lab.), Robert T. Carlson (MITRE Corp.), Amos
J. Chenoweth (McDonnell Douglas Electronics Systems Co.), James E. Freidell
(Martin Marietta Corp.), Masayuki Fujise (ATR Optical and Radio
Communications Research Labs. - Japan), Karl I. Gass. (Phillips Lab.), G.
Charmaine Gilbreath (Naval Research Lab.), Bernard Laurent (Matra Espace -
France), James R. Lesh (Jet Propulsion Lab.), Alexandru F. Popescu (European
Space Agency/ESTEC - Netherlands), Bernard D. Seery (NASA/Goddard Space
Flight Ctr.).

SPIE, P.O. Box 10, Bellingham, WA 98227-0010
Shipping address: 1000 20th St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Telephone [phone]; Telex 46-7053
Telefax [phone]; OPTO-LINK [phone]
Internet [e-mail]
CompuServe 71630,2177


                           SESSION - OPTICAL SETI

The following program is hypothetical, but forms a list of suggested topics
and authors in a sort of logical order which should help convey the general
flavor of this symposium.  The program for this first Optical SETI session,
has been devised to bring the laser communications community up to speed on
Conventional (Microwave) SETI related matters.

The authors are free to select a title of their own choosing, and other
potential authors not listed here are encouraged to submit papers.  There
are more presentations listed here than can be accommodated in one day.
However, it is not expected that all the suggested authors will be willing
or able to present papers at this symposium.  Each of the authors listed
has recently been invited to make a presentation.  Hopefully, we will be
able to put together a one-day program that is very thought-provoking.  The
presentation times indicated include a five minute discussion period.


Session Chairman - Dr. Stuart A. Kingsley
(Fiberdyne Optoelectronics, Columbus, Ohio).

Morning

 1.  "How The Galaxy Could Be One".*
     Keynote Speaker - Arthur C. Clarke (Chancellor - International Space
     University).
     Recorded or live video address from his home in Sri Lanka.
     (20 minutes).

 2.  "The Electromagnetic Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - An
     Overview".
     Dr. John Billingham (Chief, NASA SETI Office & SETI Institute, NASA -
     Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California).
     (30 minutes).

 3.  "The Microwave Observing Project".
     Dr. Jill Tarter (MOP Project Scientist, SETI Institute).
     (20 minutes).

 4.  "MOP's All Sky Survey".*
     Dr. Michael Klein (MOP Program Manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory).
     (20 minutes).

 5.  "Project Argus and Big Ear".
     Dr. Robert Dixon (Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio).
     (20 minutes).

 6.  "SETI - A Waste of Time!".
     Professor Frank Tipler.
     (20 minutes).

 7.  "SETI Ignorance of Modern Philosophy and Defectiveness of Frank
     Tipler's (Von Neumann Probe) Hypothesis".
     Clive Goodall (Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio).
     (20 minutes).

 8.  "The Decoding Problem".
     Professor Neil Tennant (Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio).
     (20 minutes).

 9.  "The Microwave or Optical Approach To SETI - Which is Better?".
     Dr. Bernard M. Oliver (Deputy Chief, NASA SETI Office).
     (20 minutes).


Afternoon

10.  "The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) in the Optical
     Spectrum - Professional Optical SETI".**
     Dr. Stuart A. Kingsley (President, Fiberdyne Optoelectronics, Columbus,
     Ohio).
     (20 minutes).

11.  "Infrared SETI".**
     Professor Charles Townes (Space Sciences Laboratory, University of
     California at Berkeley, California).
     (20 minutes).

12.  "SETI in the Infrared".
     Dr. Ben Zuckerman (Astronomy Department, UCLA, California).
     (20 minutes).

13.  "CO2 Planetary Lasers".
     Brent Sherwood (Boeing Defense & Space Group, Huntsville, Alabama).
     (20 minutes).

14.  "Mt. Wilson's CO2 Optical SETI Observatory".
     Dr. Albert Betz (University of Colorado).
     (20 minutes).

15.  "Adaptive Telescope Technology".
     Dr. Byron M. Welsh (Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio).
     (20 minutes).

16.  "The Use of Lasers for Interstellar Beacons, Communications and
     Travel".**
     Dr. John Rather (NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.).
     (20 minutes).

17.  "Visible SETI Observations in the Former Soviet Union - Historical &
     Technical Prospectives".
     Dr. Gregory Beskin (Soviet Academy of Science).
     (20 minutes).

18.  "Large M-ary Pulse Position Modulation for Effective Interstellar
     Communications"*
     Dr. Monte Ross (President, Laser Data Technology, Inc., St. Louis,
     Missouri).
     (20 minutes).

19.  "Amateur Optical SETI".**
     Dr. Stuart A. Kingsley (President, Fiberdyne Optoelectronics, Columbus,
     Ohio.
     (20 minutes).

20.  "Advanced Technological Civilizations".
     Dr. Freeman Dyson (President, Space Studies Institute).
     (20 minutes).

21.  General Discussion Round Table.
     Possible inclusion of Arthur C. Clarke in discussion via telephone.
     (30 minutes).

*  Signifies confirmed author.
** Signifies confirmed author and titles.


July 26, 1992
File: SPIESETI.TXT


 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
 * Dr. Stuart A. Kingsley, CEng,                                           *
 * Consultant,                                                             *
 * MIEE, SMIEEE,                                                           *
 * The Planetary Society,                                                  *
 * Space Studies Institute,                                                *
 * Columbus Astronomical Society,                                          *
 * Volunteer, SETI Group, Ohio State.                                      *
 *                                                                         *
 *                                    "Where No Photon Has Gone Before &   *
 *                                   The Impossible Takes A Little Longer" *
 *                                                 __________              *
 * FIBERDYNE OPTOELECTRONICS                      /          \             *
 * 545 Northview Drive                        ---   hf >> kT   ---         *
 * Columbus, Ohio 43209                           \__________/             *
 * United States                                                           *
 * Tel/Fax: [phone]                 ..    ..    ..    ..    ..      *
 * Manual Fax Tone Access Code: 33        .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     *
 * Bulletin Board System (BBS):               ..    ..    ..    ..         *
 * Modem: [phone],                                                  *
 * 300/1200/2400/4800/9600 Baud, MNP, 8N1.                                 *
 * Internet: [e-mail]                            *
 * CompuServe: 72376,3545                                                  *
 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *