Engineering topics

Boyce, Peter B.

Publications and source records attributed to Boyce, Peter B..

2 records

NASA NTRS1991

Planetary radars have announced our presence - Thoughts on short duration signals, verification and responses

The idea is set forth that criteria are developed to assess whether a particular limited-duration signal is evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI). The nature of short-duration signals is discussed to set the stage for a description of the NASA Microwave Observing Program. Criteria for evaluating the possibility of ETI origin for a signal include length, strength, band width, and accompaniment by a pseudorandom repetition. SETI is described as an educational document that can be employed to illustrate the real difficulties of interstellar communication. It is concluded that to avoid the negative aspects of SETI activities such as the notion of fashioning a return signal the intergenerational nature of interstellar communication be emphasized for the public.

Boyce, Peter B.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Status of the profession

The number of astronomers has grown by about 40 percent over the past decade. The number of astronomers with jobs in industry, or with long-term, non-tenured, jobs has increased dramatically compared with traditional faculty positions. The increase in the number of astronomers and the declining share of the NSF budget going to astronomy has led to extreme difficulties in the NSF grant program and in support of the National Observatories. In 1989, direct NASA support of astronomers through the grants program exceeds that of NSF, although the total of the NSF grants program over decade far exceeds that of NASA. Access to major new telescopes will be important issue for the 1990s. US astronomers, who once had a monopoly on telescopes larger than 3 meters, will, by the year 2000, have access to just half of the world's optical telescope area.

Boyce, Peter B.↗