SETI/OSETI research is based on the premise that some hypothetical extraterrestrial civilizations may have an understanding of physical principles and technology that is beyond ours. This premise has long been deemed reasonable within the scientific community, as evidenced by the number of well-funded SETI/OSETI research projects and numerous peer-reviewed publications. It seems equally reasonable to consider that ET Intelligence may have successfully applied some of the theories that our scientists have only begun to explore. If this were the case, it is possible that extraterrestrial probes may have already reached our solar system and might be detected using existing terrestrial technologies. This is the rationale for a SETV research strategy.
The European UFO Survey (EUS) is an independent European team of about 28 scientists (physicists, mathematicians, astronomers, biologists, computering , optics engineers, free energy researchers, linguists, archeologists...) and free UFO researchers who have been silently involved in ufological investigations for more than 20 years.
EUS is a diverse team from over 10 different european nationalities. They have shared professional, respect and friendship links for a very long time. Each is active in research fields, highly skilled and individually deal with, and share results when, and in the way they wish with the rest of the team.
EUS is a diverse team from over 10 different european nationalities. They have shared professional, respect and friendship links for a very long time. Each is active in research fields, highly skilled and individually deal with, and share results when, and in the way they wish with the rest of the team.
The EUS team is not looking for material evidence of so-called: "extraterrestrial" interferences, interactions or even intrusions. Others have already done it sometimes and obviously. In fact they don't try to prove this evidence. They are much more interested in going further. Studying their process of interferences with us, to be able in our turn to interact with. Which is obligating the EUS to make research in hyperdimensionality and very accurate discoveries in physics. (publications, below)
NASA-JPL employee Scot L. Stride has recently proposed that ground-based robotic monitoring stations be established to gather technical data from a range of sensors to search for any hypothetical interstellar robotic probes, in particular between the Earth and Moon. His suggestions for an effective research strategy appeared in the lead article of the January 2001 Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, and were further developed in a presentation to the OSETI III Conference in the same month. Stride has given a great deal of thought to specifics needs of a diverse range of instrumentation to obtain data simultaneously from a variety of different parameters. The use of a wide range of state-of-the-art sensing devices could prove successful in detecting the physical signs or signals of an extraterrestrial source, and in any case would add significantly to our knowledge of the basic sciences. Stride estimates that a robotic observatory along the lines he envisions would have an estimated cost of 11 million US$. As no funding has yet been obtained, his ideas await practical application.
In this context the considerable achievements of Europeans who began carrying out preliminary research on a shoestring budgets in the 1980s is all the more impressive. An overview of what has already been accomplished at Project Hessdalen (Norway) and the EMBLA Mission (joint Italian-Norwegian collaboration), possible directions for future projects including Kingsland Observatory (Ireland), and the potential for substantial ESA involvement will be discussed in the following sections. SETV will be shown to be a valid research strategy that may lead to significant results in the near-Earth search for signs of possible extraterrestrial civilizations.
NASA-JPL employee Scot L. Stride has recently proposed that ground-based robotic monitoring stations be established to gather technical data from a range of sensors to search for any hypothetical interstellar robotic probes, in particular between the Earth and Moon. His suggestions for an effective research strategy appeared in the lead article of the January 2001 Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, and were further developed in a presentation to the OSETI III Conference in the same month. Stride has given a great deal of thought to specifics needs of a diverse range of instrumentation to obtain data simultaneously from a variety of different parameters. The use of a wide range of state-of-the-art sensing devices could prove successful in detecting the physical signs or signals of an extraterrestrial source, and in any case would add significantly to our knowledge of the basic sciences. Stride estimates that a robotic observatory along the lines he envisions would have an estimated cost of 11 million US$. As no funding has yet been obtained, his ideas await practical application.
In this context the considerable achievements of Europeans who began carrying out preliminary research on a shoestring budgets in the 1980s is all the more impressive. An overview of what has already been accomplished at Project Hessdalen (Norway) and the EMBLA Mission (joint Italian-Norwegian collaboration), possible directions for future projects including Kingsland Observatory (Ireland), and the potential for substantial ESA involvement will be discussed in the following sections. SETV will be shown to be a valid research strategy that may lead to significant results in the near-Earth search for signs of possible extraterrestrial civilizations.
PROJECT HESSDALEN
Project Hessdalen refers to the ongoing research in the Hessdalen valley in Norway undertaken by a scientific team with participants directed by Erling Strand, Associate Professor of Engineering at Østfold College with funding from a range of government-sponsored research bodies. This area has had occurrences of multiform luminous phenomena for many years dating back at least to the late 19th Century, with increased levels of activity in the mid 1980s. The research is carried out by a multi-disciplinary group of researchers skilled in atmospheric physics, geophysics and engineering.
The work of Project Hessdalen is some of the most significant data gathering that has taken place to date in relation to phenomena that may indicate a most unusual unknown natural phenomenon and/or perhaps the presence of extraterrestrial activity in our atmosphere. As with much groundbreaking scientific work, the results raise more questions than they answer. Initial findings have effectively ruled out ball lighting or conventional natural plasma phenomena. While tectonic plate stress production of a piezoelectric effect may be related to some of the recorded observations, and while there may be a slight correlation to solar activity, it is unlikely that all of the observed phenomena could be explained in such ways.
Some of the significant results included the recording of a marked radar signature and of a fairly regular pulsation; sudden oscillating radio spikes of unexplained origin; and pronounced pulse-like magnetic perturbations ranging from 0.5? to more than 10? that were related in time to the recorded luminous phenomena. Strand and his team have travelled to other parts of the world to carry out similar experiments. They obtained similar results in both Australia and Mexico, with even more powerful magnetic readings.
Strand’s research indicates unknown physical mechanisms that require further analysis. While many of the Hessdalen phenomena may be shown to be related to natural phenomena, it is possible that there may be an overlapping of natural and technological phenomena. Deeper understanding of naturally occurring atmospheric phenomena is critical. Only further research will confirm or refute the various hypotheses currently under consideration.
Strand stresses the need to develop a wide range of instrumentation under computer control to enable more information to be obtained. Towards this end he has established a fixed monitoring station known as the Hessdalen Interactive Observatory, which has been operational since 1998. The equipment Strand has established is carrying out constant monitoring of luminous phenomena up to the present day that is of great statistical significance. He hopes to upgrade his optical instrumentation in the near future. An important by-product of Strand’s work has been the triggering of an important collaborative series of research projects with Italian radio astronomers and astrophysicists known as the EMBLA Project.
EMBLA 2000 PROJECT
In August 2000 a team of Italian radio astronomers, astrophysicists and technicians carried out an instrumented expedition in Hessdalen called the EMBLA Project. It was the result of a collaborative effort between the Institute of Radio Astronomy (IRA: a specific department of the National Council of Research (CNR)), in Bologna, Italy and the Østfold College of Engineering in Norway and was headed by astrophysicist Massimo Teodorani.
The Italian team used radio spectrum analyzers that were in constant operation for 25 days. This led to the discovery of highly anomalous periodic signals that have so far defied any conventional natural explanation. These unusual signals were characterized by spike-like and Doppler-like characteristics and were mostly detected in the VLF radio range. These results are interesting because they could possibly indicate a technological source or the discovery of previously unknown natural phenomena. Either scenario has important implications. The EMBLA team members also carried out structured visual monitoring sessions during this 25-day period. During this time they sighted many luminous atmospheric phenomena in various locations in the Hessdalen valley. Some of the phenomena were plasma-like and others seemed to show a structured morphology. In particular, the team recorded plasma-appearing phenomena with a non-Gaussian point-spread–function (PSF) that has no obvious natural explanation. This is significant because a potential explanation could be the presence of a structured technological phenomena surrounded by ionising plasma. Unconventional natural explanations are actively being explored so that no stone is left unturned. Plasma physicists who attended the ESA Workshop on Exo/Astrobiology who had the opportunity to examine the data confirmed its puzzling nature. A thorough discussion of the preliminary EMBLA data and the range of theoretical models under consideration can be found in Teodorani’s paper in this same ESA publication.
A crucial element in the near-Earth search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the development of appropriate instrumentation. The research of both Project Hessdalen and EMBLA has revealed weaknesses in the area of optical instrumentation. High-quality optical devices are expensive, and purpose-built optical equipment especially so. The significant results already accomplished by the Norwegian and Italian teams with their SETV research strategy will hopefully lead to projects of this nature being considered for substantial ESA funding in line with that granted to those following a dedicated and skilful but un-productive conventional SETI strategy. In the meantime, a new observatory at Kingsland Observatory (Ireland) is making progress in the area of specially designed optics for SETV and the implementation of robotic sensing devices.
KINGSLAND OBSERVATORY
The encouraging results of the research of Project Hessdalen and EMBLA show that it is possible to obtain useful data by using appropriate methodologies and appropriate equipment. Kingsland Observatory in north-western Ireland will contribute to this process, particularly in the area of an innovative optical approach. The equipment already being assembled may provide new data and more information on the physical mechanisms governing the behaviour of these phenomena, whether natural or otherwise.
The instrumentation consists of a group of all-sky cameras that will be in constant operation. They have the ability to identify targets and trigger a video platform that has additional cameras with large telephoto lenses, an infrared camera, a high-speed photometer and a specially designed wide field spectrograph. As a direct result of the Italian findings, a radio spectrum receiver geared towards the ULF to VLF spectrum from 0.1 kHz to 14 kHz will also be included. As a result of the Hessdalen findings, a laser of 30mW in the 532nm range for reaction tests on the target will be employed. In the future, radar and/or magnetometers may also be included.
The 11 cameras used to obtain the target information. cover the whole sky hemisphere. Each of these cameras has a hypersensitive half-inch CCD that is designed to obtain high-quality images in extremely low light conditions. The cameras are connected to a digital multiplexer with motion sensing capabilities, digital zoom facility and multi-screen displays. The multiplexer triggers the automatic tracking system for the wide field spectral imager and infrared camera. Increased funding levels would allow the use of even more sensitive infrared cameras on this platform, so that a target could be acquired while not in the visible range. (One of the significant EMBLA findings was that on some occasions, the observed unusual radio signals were present for some time before a visual phenomenon was observed.)
The wide field spectrograph is a particularly critical aspect of the instrumentation at Kingsland Observatory. Existing spectrographs for astronomy have an extremely narrow field of view and are therefore not ideal for SETV. The instrument designed at Kingsland Observatory to solve this problem uses a high-speed (i.e., low f/-ratio) lens system. It projects the incoming wide-field light through a horizontally moving slit assembly onto a 5-inch flat reflective diffraction grating that is rotating in a way that is precisely synchronized with the movement of the slit mechanism. The slit width is also adjustable, as is the case in conventional spectrographs. . A critical part of the design is the lateral movement of the entire slit assembly (in addition to the movement of the slit itself), so that the narrow beam passing through the slit will reflect off of different parts of the diffraction grating and be received by a sensitive 1-inch CCD detector. As a result this single device will cover a wide field of view across the range of spectra, from the ultraviolet all the way through to the near infrared. This represents a significant advance in optical technology.
An infrared camera operating between 7µ and 14µ will be linked to the multiplexer. It relies on the all-sky cameras for its information to track and record data in the infrared. It may well be that infrared cameras covering a wider range of wavelengths could provide significant data.
Opportunity for a European Initiative
ESA has already demonstrated the will and foresight to take initiatives in space programmes. The material, technological and intellectual resources of Europe are such that a serious SETV programme could be implemented by ESA alone. Individual European scientists have already demonstrated the necessary leadership in this area, succeeding in producing preliminary data of good quality and high interest. These initiatives should be fully coordinated with one another. More joint projects and better instrumentation will add significantly to the range and quality of data. It makes fundamental sense for ESA to choose to support a scientific approach that is actually producing results (SETV) in addition to strategies that have not yet produced results (SETI). An ESA mandate to carry out scientific research and exploration using a number of robotic observatories distributed among the European countries could enhance the coordination and effectiveness of the research already underway, and could expand its potential for clear and significant scientific results. A network of robotic observatories would be most effective in further exploring the puzzling sources of data obtained to date.
CONCLUSION
Research teams using a SETV research strategy focusing on near-Earth atmospheric phenomena have already successfully obtained data that makes a compelling case for further study. The results may eventually help to test specific hypotheses put forward by numerous experienced scientists over the last 50 years. The preliminary results obtained by Project Hessdalen and the EMBLA 2000 Project point the way towards the kind of future research projects that are needed, and the nature of instrumentation that is required. The instrumentation of Kingsland Observatory may furnish an additional range of data which will be carefully compared with data obtained by the Italian and Norwegian teams so that ongoing work is well coordinated.
This research will give a unique opportunity for physicists to acquire numerical multi-wavelength data regarding the currently unexplained light, radio and magnetic phenomena that are occurring close to the surface of the Earth that have so far eluded facile explanation. Whether these phenomena are eventually shown to have a source that is natural or technological, the information will be equally significant. For example, the scientific understanding of these phenomena could furnish a fundamental improvement in the general knowledge of unknown physical mechanisms of atmospheric plasmas, and might suggest ways to harness them technologically. If further data acquisition and analysis continues to defy even far-fetched natural explanations (e.g., the presence of magnetic monopoles), the extraterrestrial (or ultraterrestrial) hypothesis may also be considered. The success of the SETV strategy in producing data should result in ESA playing an active role in this cutting-edge search strategy for intelligent extraterrestrial life.
Contacts and sources:
European UFO SurveyAbstract by
Eamonn Ansbro and Catherine Overhauser
Kingsland Observatory/Space Exploration Limited
Ardmoyle, Kingsland, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, Ireland
REFERENCES
The sources included on this selected list contain detailed references for those desiring more in-depth information than can be appropriately provided here. The list below is intended to serve as a helpful starting point for credible research information relating to the SETV search strategy.
Ansbro E. (2001): New OSETI Observatory to Search for Interstellar Probes. SPIE Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Optical SETI (Conference No. 4273), San Jose, California, USA, 20-26 January, 2001. In Press.
Jones E. M. (1981): Discrete Calculations of Interstellar Migration and Setetlement. Icarus, Vol. 46, pp. 328-336, 1981.
Matloff G. L. (1994): On the Detectability of Several Varieties of Low-Energy Starships. J. British Interplanetary Society, Vol. 47, pp. 17-18, 1994.
Millis M. G. (1999): Warp Drive, When? Scientific American, February 1999.
Strand E. P. (1984): Project Hessdalen 1984: Final Technical
Report. Articles, website: http://hessdalen.hiof.no/reports/hpreport84.shtml
Stride S. L. (2001): An Instrument-Based Method to Search for extraterrestrial Interstellar Robotic Probes. J. British Interplanetary Society, Vol. 54, No. 1/2, pp. 2-13, 2001.
Stride S. L. (2001): Instrument Technologies for the Detection of Extraterrestrial Interstellar Robotic Probes. SPIE Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Optical SETI (Conference No. 4273), San Jose, California, USA, 20-26 January, 2001. In Press.
Teodorani M. and Strand E. P. (1998): Experimental Methods for Studying the Hessdalen Phenomenon in the Light of the Proposed Theories: A Comparative Overview (peer-reviewed university scientific monograph). Rapport No. 5, Högskolen I Østfold (Norway), pp. 1-93, 1998.
Teodorani M. (2001): Instrumented Search for Exogenous Robotic Probes on Earth. Proceedings of ESA First European Workshop on Exo/Astrobiology, ESA SP-496, Frascati, Italy, 21-23 May 2001. In Press.
Teodorani M., Montebugnoli S. and Monari J. (2000): The EMBLA 2000 Mission in Hessdalen. National Institute for Discovery Science, website:http://www.nidsci.org/articles/articles1.html#teodorani and Italian Committee for Project Hessdalen (CIPH): http://www.itacomm.net/PH/ (2000).
Zuckerman B. (1985): Stellar Evolution: Motivation for Mass Interstellar Migrations. Quarterly J. Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 26, pp. 56-59, 1985.
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