The search for Alien life is getting a lot of support from the big names. Do not fear---none of them are Aliens though! Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, physicist Stephen Hawkings and Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner have decided to join the seekers.
All three of them decided to put in the funds for the US$100-million (A$130-million) Breakthrough Listen project. The initiative has got its head turned up to search for signals from Proxima B, the nearest Earth-like satellite.
That rocky planet has built up a good reputation for itself. It's also called Earth 2.0, as it is thought to have the most ambient conditions for life.
Hence, a small spacecraft will be launched for Alpha Centauri in just one generation. This is the nearest star system, just about 4.37 light-years away. Milner admits that while launching the project, they had hoped there was a planet in the Centauri system. "Now we have a definite target. That makes the mission feel more tangible," Milner says.
When he was asked what he would do if they get signals from ET land Milner quipped: "I will take a bottle of champagne out of the fridge and start thinking about the message back."
Through the Parkes Observatory in Australia, the project hopes to capture Alien signals from the planet.
Stephen Hawking is a believer that life exists all over the universe. He agrees with the NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, who spent 230 days in the International Space Station. In the film "Stephen Hawking's Favourite Place," the physicist noted that whenever he looked up at the stars, he always felt that they were looking back at the Earth. "As I grow older I am more convinced than ever that we are not alone," Hawking adds.
Even though Zuckerberg is not so vocal about his involvement, he is part of the the project's board of trustees.
YouTube/Breakthrough Initiatives https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBj5sM3YfUP0Jd_rkHjKBFw
