Looking for ET

(Sfx: CB noises) 

     FOR DECADES HUMANS HAVE COMMUNICATED OVER LONG DISTANCES USING
RADIO WAVES.  SO IT WAS NATURAL THAT SCIENTISTS LOOKING FOR EXTRA TERRESTRIAL
LIFE WOULD TRY TO LISTEN FOR FARAWAY RADIO SIGNALS.  BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED
HERE ON EARTH AND WE'VE BEGUN TO DEPEND MORE AND MORE ON LASER LIGHT FOR
COMMUNICATION USING THINGS LIKE FIBER OPTICS.  

(SFX: LASERS) 

SOME SCIENTISTS ARE BEGINNING TO THINK OUR BEST CHANCES TO EAVESDROP ON ALIEN
LIFE MIGHT BE TO MONITOR FOR LASER COMMUNICATIONS BEING SENT FROM PLANET TO
PLANET. 

     Kingsley:  "If you want to send gigabytes of information per second then I believe
the only way to do that would be to use optical frequencies."

     STUART KINGSLEY IS THE DIRECTOR Of THE COLUMBUS OPTICAL SETI OBSERVATORY
WHO'S TRYING TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO LOOK FOR LASER COMMUNICATION WITH
TELESCOPES.  OF COUSRE LOOKING FOR LASER LIGHT IS HARD WHEN YOU'RE ALREADY
STARING AT A SKY FILLED WITH LIGHTS.

     Kinglsey: "within a city is light pollution and of course since the signal we suppose
is coming from a transmitter perhaps around the star. . . the major source of noise is the
light of the star itself behind the transmitter."

     IT'S AS IF YOU WERE LISTENING FOR A TINY HUM IN THE MIDST OF A HUGE ROAR. 

 (SFX: Appropriate sounds) 

KINGSLEY THINKS THAT IF ANOTHER CIVILIZATION WERE TRYING TO CONTACT US THEY'D
MAKE THEIR SIGNALS OBVIOUS--SOMEHOW DIFFERENT THAN STAR LIGHT.  PERHAPS BY
SENDING REGULAR PULSES 

(sfx: pulsing hum) 

OF LIGHT AS OPPOSED TO A STEADY BEAM.  WITH THE STRENGTH OF PRESENT DAY
COMPUTERS, THIS WOUDLN'T BE HARD TO DETECT EVEN WITH THE SMALLER TELESCOPES
THAT AMATEURS CAN AFFORD.