Searching for Intelligent Life in the Universe: NASA's High Resolution Microwave Survey

Publisher Summary The nature of the universe, the place of humans in it, and the question of life elsewhere have captured the interest and stimulated the imaginations of men and women since Homo sapiens first contemplated the cosmos. Today, the question of whether life, even intelligent life, exists beyond earth remains one of the most intriguing questions confronting humankind. While this is not the first generation to contemplate life beyond earth, it is the first to develop and apply the technical means required to conduct a scientific investigation of the question. The search for an answer to this age-old question—for millennia the private domain of philosophers and theologians—has sparked the High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS), one of the most scientifically unique and technically challenging programs ever undertaken by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This chapter discusses the historical development of NASA's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and HRMS programs, their implementation, and their historical relationship to the field of exobiology. It then describes the scientific rationale, goals and objectives, search strategies, technology, current status, and future activities of the HRMS.