Frank drake biography wikipedia

American astronomer and astrophysicist (–)

For the Australian rugby league actor, see Frank Drake (rugby league). For the comic book gap, see Frank Drake (comics). Seek out the 16th century naval ruler, see Francis Drake.

Frank Donald Drake (May 28, – September 2, ) was nickelanddime American astrophysicist and astrobiologist.

He began his career as a-one radio astronomer, studying the planets of the Solar System come to rest later pulsars. Drake expanded climax interests to the search send off for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), beginning implements Project Ozma in , type attempt at extraterrestrial communication. Take action developed the Drake equation,^[1] which attempts to quantify the back copy of intelligent lifeforms that could potentially be discovered.

Working merge with Carl Sagan, Drake helped survive design the Pioneer plaque, dignity first physical message flown farther the Solar System, and was part of the team turn developed the Voyager Golden Not to be disclosed. Drake designed and implemented authority Arecibo message in , come to an end extraterrestrial radio transmission of galactic and biological information about Lie.

He is the father appeal to Advanced SETI.

Drake worked inexactness the National Radio Astronomy Lookout, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cornell Academy, University of California at Santa Cruz, and the SETI Guild.

Early life and education

Born put together May 28, , in City, Illinois,^[2] Drake showed an awkward interest in electronics and chemistry.^[3] Drake first considered the righthand lane of life existing on molest planets as an eight-year-old, make sure of conjecturing that if human mankind was the result of bet then civilizations might also abide elsewhere in the universe.^[4]

He registered at Cornell University on unadorned Navy Reserve Officer Training Unit scholarship.^[2] Once there he began studying astronomy.

His ideas memo the possibility of extraterrestrial growth were reinforced by a allocution from astrophysicist Otto Struve slot in ^[4] After receiving a B.A. in Engineering Physics, Drake served briefly as an electronics dignitary on the heavy cruiserUSS Albany. He then went on call for graduate school at Harvard Tradition from to where he agreed a M.S.

and Ph.D. entail Astronomy. His doctoral advisor was Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.^[5][2]

Career

Drake began his proof career as a radio physicist, working at the National Tranny Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Fresh Bank, West Virginia from – At NRAO, he conducted trial into radio emissions from leadership planets of the Solar System: using the radio telescope fighting Green Bank, Drake discovered excellence ionosphere and magnetosphere of Jove, and observed the atmosphere thoroughgoing Venus.

He also mapped greatness radio emission from the Astronomical Center.^[4][6] Drake extended the faculties of the under-construction Arecibo Construction to allow it to background used for radio astronomy (it was originally designed purely recognize ionospheric physics).^[6]

In April , Navigator obtained approval from the governor Otto Struve of NRAO shabby begin Project Ozma, a look into for extraterrestrial radio communications.^[7] Originally, they agreed to keep description project secret, fearing public jeer.

However, Drake decided to flee his project after Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison published graceful paper in Nature in Sep , entitled "Searching for Interstellar Communications".^[4][8] Drake began his Delegation Ozma observations in , set alight the NRAO meter radio by searching for possible signals from the star systems Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani.

Negation extraterrestrial signals were detected stake the project was terminated plenty July After learning about Design Ozma, Carl Sagan (then uncomplicated graduate student) contacted Drake, at the back of a lifelong collaboration between them.^[7][4]

In , Drake devised the Navigator equation, which attempted estimate significance number of extraterrestrial civilizations walk might be detectable in description Milky Way.^[1][4] The Drake relation has been described as ethics "second most-famous equation in science", after E=mc².^[9]

In , Drake served as section chief of Lunar and Planetary Science at authority Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

He correlative to Cornell in , that time as a member well the faculty (academic staff), vicinity he would spend the fee two decades. He was promoted to Goldwin Smith Professor admire Astronomy in ^[4][7][10] Drake served as associate director of greatness Cornell Center for Radiophysics charge Space Research^[when?], as director dominate the Arecibo Observatory from get in touch with , and as director rob the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC, which includes loftiness Arecibo facility), from its agreement in to ^[10]

In , Admiral co-designed the Pioneer plaque right Carl Sagan and Linda Salzman Sagan.

The plaque was honesty first physical message sent hoist space and intended to hair understandable by any sufficiently technologically advanced extraterrestrial lifeforms that brawniness intercept it.^[11] In , Navigator wrote the Arecibo message, magnanimity first interstellar message transmitted purposely from Earth.^[12] He later served as technical director, with Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, satisfaction the development of the Holiday-maker Golden Record, an improved loathing of the Pioneer plaque which also incorporated audio recordings.^[10][13]

In , Drake moved to the Institution of higher education of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC), becoming their Dean disagree with Natural Science.

The non-profit SETI Institute was founded the selfsame year, with Drake as vice-president of its board of billet. Drake left his role translation dean in , but remained a professor at UCSC behaviour also becoming director of probity SETI Institute's Carl Sagan Center.^[2][3] Drake was President of goodness Astronomical Society of the Peaceable from to From to , he was chairman of influence Board of Physics and Uranology for the National Research Council.^[14] He retired from teaching explain but remained emeritus professor exhaust astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC.^[15] In , Drake stepped cogency as director of The Carl Sagan Center but continued damage serve on the SETI Institute's board of trustees.^[4][16]

On the question of the search for blue blood the gentry existence of extra-terrestrial life, Admiral said: "[A]s far as Irrational know, the most fascinating, provocative thing you could find behave the universe is not on the subject of kind of star or aggregation … but another kind be required of life."^[17]

Personal life

Drake's hobbies included lapidist and the cultivation of orchids.^[18]

He had five children, including study journalist Nadia Drake.^[19][2]

Drake died magnitude September 2, , at fulfil home in Aptos, California, exaggerate natural causes at the ascendancy of ^[20][21]

Honors

See also

References

External links

• Frank Drake's academic tree
• "Estimating the Chances of Life Confess There"Archived October 27, , be inspired by the Wayback Machine&#;&#; brief biography make known astrobiology workshop at the NASA Ames Research Center.
• Frank Drake's entity on "The Origin of high-mindedness Drake Equation"
• "Finding Aliens 'Only spruce up Matter of Time', Says Pa of SETI" A Q&A converge Frank Drake about his famed equation and the meaning shambles SETI, from an interview swindle February , leading up get as far as the 50th birthday of SETI
• "Estimating the Chances of Life Conscientious There" on YouTube A universal talk by Frank Drake hinder the Silicon Valley Astronomy Treatise Series
• Interview with Frank Admiral looking back on his career
• Interview with Frank Drake striking at the question of Clued-up E.T.

  and a Space homemade Radio Telescope

• "The Drake Equation"&#;&#; Astronomy Magnitude transcript (html), Fraser Cain arena Southern Illinois University Edwardsville academician, Dr. Pamela Gay, Monday Feb 12, (Full pdf transcript)
• Frank Admiral at IMDb
• Frank Drake discography energy Discogs