Projects: SETI@home
What if We Hear ET Call?
The SETI Protocol
by Tom McDonough, SETI Coordinator of The Planetary Society
March 10, 2003:
Suppose that one of the SETI projects detects a signal that seems to be from an extraterrestrial civilization. What does the lucky scientist do next?
For decades, SETI researchers have dreamt of this moment. They have devised many methods to look for such signals. Some use radiotelescopes to look for radio signals; others use optical telescopes to look for light signals. Some SETI projects look at nearby stars and others scan the whole sky systematically. But while thinking about the technical problems in this search, some people also gave thought to the problem of handling success, if it happens.
They worried about several issues. How do you know that the signal really is from another civilization, and not our own? SETI astronomers occasionally detect artificial signals produced by our own noisy civilization. In 1960, the first modern SETI search, Frank Drake's Project Ozma, detected an artificial radio signal that looked like it was coming from outer space. But he soon discovered that it was just interference from our own civilization. Today, Earth satellites produce signals that really are coming from space, and SETI researchers have to be careful not to be fooled by them. But if you find that the signal matches a known satellite, or if it moves across the sky like a satellite, you know it isn't from some distant star.
Another thing they worried about: How do you know that you haven't just discovered some new kind of astronomical object? In 1967, astronomers in England discovered strange radio signals from space. They sounded like the ticking of an old-fashioned clock. They were definitely produced by something outside the solar system, because the signals didn't move among the stars. They were unlike anything ever seen in astronomy. They seemed to be artificial. The scientists even nicknamed them "LGM," for Little Green Men.
But they suspected that these were a new kind of astronomical object. When more scientists studied the signals, they concluded that they were neutron stars. These were strange stars never detected before. A neutron star is the result of a supernova explosion that leaves behind a tiny spinning sphere the size of a large city, but containing as much mass as our Sun. It has an extremely strong magnetic field, and electrons in that spinning field generate the radio waves that astronomers detect. We now call these objects pulsars, because of the pulsating radio signals we detect.
Yet another worry for scientists was hoaxes. Suppose some students play a prank, creating what seems to be an extraterrestrial signal? The scientists devised tests that could be used to avoid being fooled, such as making sure that the same signals are seen by telescopes in other countries.
Diplomats use the word "protocol" to describe the ceremonies and elaborate forms of politeness they use when representatives of one country's government meet with those of another country. So the document that summarizes the scientists' recommendations came to be known as the SETI Protocol. Over a period of years, the Protocol was debated and revised at many international scientific meetings, so that it would not be just the viewpoint of one or two countries. Not only scientists and engineers, but even experts on diplomacy were consulted.
Finally, in 1989, the International Academy of Astronautics approved the polished version. Then it was endorsed by the International Institute of Space Law, the Committee on Space Research, the International Astronomical Union, the International Astronautical Federation and Commission J of the Union Radio Scientifique Internationale. You can read it at http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/setiathome/contact_protocol.html. However, it's written in very formal language, so I'll summarize its nine points in plain English:
What to do if you think you've detected extraterrestrial signals:
1. First make sure it isn't something from our own civilization. And make sure it isn't just an astronomical phenomenon. Don't announce that you've detected ETs until you have checked this out. If you can't prove that it is from an intelligent civilization, then just announce it as an unknown astronomical phenomenon. (This is done through scientific societies.)
2. Before announcing your discovery, you should contact other astronomers so that they can check whether they, too, see what you see. You shouldn't make a public announcement until you're sure it really is an intelligent extraterrestrial signal. And you should tell your government about it.
3. If you're still convinced it really is a signal from another civilization, then announce it to the astronomers of the world through the International Astronomical Union, and tell the Secretary General of the United Nations. And also inform the scientific societies that have been studying SETI.
4. You should make the first public announcement yourself, being sure to give appropriate credit to your institution and all your sponsors. Do it promptly.
5. You should make all of your data available to other astronomers.
6. Your discovery should be confirmed by others, and the signals should be carefully recorded and made available to other researchers.
7. If you've detected radio or light signals, scientific and engineering organizations should try to protect the signals from interference. The International Telecommunications Union in Switzerland sets the worldwide standards that prevent radio and TV stations from interfering with each other. They could request people to avoid transmitting on the same frequencies as the ETs are using. They would probably hold a conference to get all nations to avoid interfering with the signals.
8. Don't broadcast back to the ETs! This is something that Earth will have to debate. [Do we want to tell them we're here? What if they're hostile?]
9. If SETI detects alien signals, an international committee of experts will be created to study them. The SETI Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics keeps a list of experts to call on.
The SETI Protocol is humanity's first attempt at galactic diplomacy. If SETI succeeds, we at least know what to do to get the message out to the world.
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