Frank Drake receives '83 Glover Medal

Dr. Frank Drake, a world renowned pioneer in the search for extra-terrestrial life, received the 1983 Glover Medal on Thursday, October 6th after delivering a lecture in ATS. Drake, who created "The Drake equation" to estimate the number of intelligent civilizations that exist in our universe, spoke of his certainty that other forms of intelligent life exist elsewhere in the universe, and that it is possible to contact them. Such civilizations, Drake says, are able to contact each other through the use of radio waves. In fact, every radio and television signal ever transmitted is travelling throughout the galaxy. Therefore, in order to encounter extra-terrestrial civilization, it must have developed radio technology. "If a civilization is more than forty years behind us, we can't find them," Drake said.

Drake also discussed the possibility of advanced space travel to search for life, saying that it is "impossible without nuclear power.", and that the ideal source of power for space travel would be a "matter-anti-matter engine." that could theoretically allow for near light-speed travel. However, according to Drake, such a propulsion system would require 500,000 years worth of the world's electrical consumption, and would incinerate an entire hemisphere of the earth.