Skip to content
Home/ Waiting for Contact: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Waiting for Contact: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Waiting for Contact: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

No customer reviews yet ISBN 9780813062143

Why do we pursue the quest for alien life?

"A cogent, engaging history of humanity's most ambitious quest--seeking outward for other minds."--David Brin, author of Existence

"A fascinating perspective on humankind's obsession for knowing if there is anyone else out there."--Gerrit Verschuur, author of The Invisible Universe: The Story of Radio Astronomy

Imagine a network of extraterrestrials in radio contact with each other across the universe, superior beings who hail from advanced civilizations quadrillions of miles away, just waiting for Earth to tune in. Some people believe it's only a matter of time before we discover the right "station."

Waiting for Contact tells the story of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) movement, which emerged in 1959 as new technological developments turned what once was speculation into science: astronomers began using radio telescopes to listen for messages from space. Boosted by support from Frank Drake, Philip Morrison, and Carl Sagan, the SETI movement gained followers and continues to capture imaginations today.

In this one-of-a-kind history, Lawrence Squeri looks at the people, the reasons, the goals, and the mindsets behind SETI. He shows how it started as an expression of the times, a way out of Cold War angst into hope for a better world. SETI's early advocates thought that with guidance from technically and ethically advanced outsiders, humanity might learn how to avoid horrors like World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, and the threat of nuclear annihilation.

Squeri also describes the challenges SETI has faced over the years: the struggle to be taken seriously by the scientific community and by NASA, competition for access to radio telescopes, perpetual lack of funding, and opposition by the government. Yet--lest readers be tempted into similar skepticism--he points out that if, against all expectations, the embattled SETI movement finally succeeds, the long-awaited first signal picked up by its radio antennas would usher in the greatest shift in human history.

About the author

Product details

Pub dateSep 20, 2016
ISBN-100813062144
ISBN-139780813062143
LanguageEnglish
Last updated 2026-03-20 10:07
$18.98 $26.95 29% off
You save $7.97 · list price $26.95
In stock — ships in 24 hours with free tracking
Delivery by Monday, September 7, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from Space Science - General
See all
Primitive Meteorites and Asteroids
<p><i>Primitive Meteorites and Asteroids: Physical, Chemical, and Spectroscopic Observations Paving the Way to Exploration </i>covers the physical, chemical and spectroscopic aspects of asteroids, providing important data and research on carbonaceous chondrites and primitive meteorites. This information is crucial to the success of missions to parent bodies, thus contributing to an understanding of the early solar system. The book offers an interdisciplinary perspective relevant to many fields of planetary science, as well as cosmochemistry, planetary astronomy, astrobiology, geology and space engineering.</p> <p>Including contributions from planetary and missions scientists worldwide, the book collects the fundamental knowledge and cutting-edge research on carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies into one accessible resource, thus contributing to the future of space exploration. </p><br>Dr. Abreu is a Planetary Scientist with a background in geochemistry, mineralogy, petrology, physics, and astronomy. Dr. Abreu's interests are: (1) determining the effects of asteroidal processes that resulted in the mineralogical and petrologic characteristics of chondrites, including brecciation, aqueous alteration, thermal metamorphism, and shock metamorphism&#x3b; (2) understanding the origin and distribution of volatiles and organics in chondritic meteorites, including hydrated silicates&#x3b; (3) determining the spatial scale of chemical compositional variations resulting from processes operating on asteroidal regoliths&#x3b; (4) using chondrites to constrain the composition and structure of asteroidal regoliths and (5) determining what can be learned about asteroidal regoliths from proximity and contact exploration. Dr. Abreu has published and refereed numerous peer-reviewed articles on the characteristics of carbonaceous chondrites. She has served as the principal of a NASA grant and collaborator in several others. She was part of the 2009-2010 Antarctic Search for Meteorites field season, for which she received the NSF Antarctic Service Medal. Dr. Abreu has been part of numerous NASA grant review panels and served in the program committees of national and international conferences.<br>
$185.10