The fraction of those planets where life develops: Although a planet orbits in the habitable zone of a suitable star, other factors are necessary for life to arise. Thus, only a fraction of suitable planets will actually develop life.
fi
The fraction of life sites where intelligence develops: Life on Earth began over 3.5 billion years ago. Intelligence took a long time to develop. On other life-bearing planets it may happen faster, it may take longer, or it may not develop at all.
fc
The fraction of planets where technology develops: The fraction of planets with intelligent life that develop technological civilizations, i.e., technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space.
L
The “Lifetime” of communicating civilizations:
The length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space.
Within the limits of our existing technology, any practical search for distant intelligent life must necessarily be a search for some manifestation of a distant technology.
A search for extraterrestrial radio signals has long been considered the most promising approach by the majority of the scientific community.
Besides illuminating the factors involved in such a search, the Drake Equation is a simple, effective tool for stimulating intellectual curiosity about the universe around us, for helping us to understand that life as we know it is the end product of a natural, cosmic evolution and for making us realize how much we are a part of that universe.
—SETI INSTITUTE
Drake, Frank (b. 1930). Widely known for his beliefs that life exists elsewhere in the universe, Frank Drake is a leading authority on methods for the possible detection of extraterrestrial intelligent signals. His pioneering efforts in this field are widely recognized and highly respected. Dr. Drake is currently Chairman of the Board at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, and Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics (since 1984) at the University of California at Santa Cruz. From 1984-1988, he was Dean of Natural Sciences, and from 1988-1990: President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Dr. Drake shared in the discovery of the radiation belts of Jupiter (1959) and played an important role in the observational studies which led to the early understanding of pulsars. He received a B.A. in Engineering Physics from Cornell University in 1952, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University in 1956 and 1958 respectively. Dr. Drake is a member of numerous professional societies and international organizations, including the prestigious National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
From 1952-55, he was an electronics officer in the U. S. Navy. At Harvard, he was associated with the Agassiz Station Radio Astronomy Project, specializing in 21-cm research, and the development of infrared photometers. From 1958-1963, he was head of the Telescope Operations and Scientific Services Division at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank, West Virginia. While at Green Bank, he carried out planetary research as well as studies of cosmic radio sources, and conducted the first organized search for extraterrestrial intelligent radio signals, known as OZMA. In the fall of 1963, he became chief of the Lunar and Planetary Sciences Section of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. He joined the faculty at Cornell University in 1964, first as an associate professor of Astronomy, then, from 1966-1984 as a full professor.
Frank Drake
From 1966-68, he was the director of the Arecibo Observatory, near Arecibo, Puerto Rico. From 1969-71, he was chairman of Cornell’s Astronomy Department, and was Director of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (of which the Arecibo Observatory is part) from 1970 to 1981.
Dr. Drake was among the first to show how interstellar messages could be constructed for easy radio transmission. In 1960, about the same time he conducted project OZMA, he pioneered in the development of binary coded messages from which a “picture” could be obtained after proper decryption of the codes. Dr. Drake constructed the first interstellar message ever transmitted via radio waves by our planet for the benefit of any extraterrestrial civilizations. This message is known as the “Arecibo Message of November 1974.” Three messages, utilizing the techniques and methods developed by Dr. Drake, have already been sent to outer space. They are the Pioneer 10 and 11 Plaques (designed by Drake, Sagan, and Sagan), the Voyager Record on board the Voyager spacecraft (conceived by Drake and compiled by a host of contributors in addition to Drake), and the Arecibo Message of 1974.
Dr. Drake also devised an equation by which he gave an estimate of the number of communicative extraterrestrial civilizations we might find in our galaxy. Known as the Drake equation, N=R*·fp·ne·fl fi·fc·L is still valid and is regarded as the authority on the number of detectable civilizations.
Dr. Drake is the author of Intelligent Life in Space (1962), a contributor to UFOs—A Scientific Debate, edited by Carl Sagan and Thornton Page (1972), “Communication with Other Intelligences” in Prospects for Man—Communication, edited by W. J. Megaw (1977), coauthor with Sagan et al. of Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record (1978), and coauthor with Dava Sobel of Is Anyone Out There? (1992).
Address:
2035 Landings Drive
Mountain View, CA 94043
U.S.A.
Web site:
www.seti.org
POSITION STATEMENT: There is no general explanation of the UFO phenomenon which is complete and accurate. The UFO phenomenon is very likely more than one phenomenon, including at least very rare natural events and misinterpretations of rare but spectacular natural events. There is no good evidence for further origins of the UFO phenomenon.
The best hope for progress with UFOs is to obtain a variety of good quantitative observations of one of the more spectacular and “strange” cases. These observations should include high-quality photographs, calibrated, with good time references. Sound recordings, spectral information, and possibly radioactivity and magnetic activity recordings would be requirements. Unfortunately, I see no practical way to provide instrumentation in sufficient quantity to assure that such a set of observations win be made in the foreseeable future.
—FRANK DRAKE
Drake, W. Raymond (1913-1989). British author Walter Raymond Drake was a pioneer in the ancient astronaut field. He published numerous articles on the topic, beginning in 1957, followed by his book, Gods or Spacemen? first published in 1964.
W. Raymond Drake
A retired customs official, Mr. Drake spent twenty-five years promoting the ancient astronaut theory, most notably in his nine books: Gods or Spacemen? (1964), Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient East (1968), Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient West (1974), Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient Past (1975), Gods and Spacemen Throughout History (1975), Gods and Spacemen in Greece and Rome (1976), Gods and Spacemen in Ancient Israel (1976), Messengers from the Stars (1977), and Cosmic Continents (1986).
POSITION STATEMENT: Since 1957 I have given profound attention to the enigma of UFOs, which I consider the most baffling problem of the century.
I support the theory of extraterrestrials from other planets although I do recognize the formidable arguments of UFOs from inner etherean realms; the inner-Earth; time-travelers from the past or future; of even ultraterrestrials sharing our planet, but existing in another spacetime continuum. With the confused information at our disposal, it is impossible to make a definite appraisal regarding their true origin. Recent research seems to indicate psychic influence beyond our cognizance. Several cases of abduction of men and women, past and presents make us wonder.
Many years ago, influenced by the Master Charles Fort, who collected unusual cosmic data for modern times in his wonderful books, I aspired to collect as many facts as possible from ancient literature to chronicle for the past what Charles Fort has so brilliantly done for the present century. I spent many years reading the classics and ancient histories in many languages, and in 1964 published Gods or Spacemen?, the first of nine books,, wh
erein I detailed my researches covering most countries of the world, proving to my own satisfaction at least, that the gods of antiquity were spacemen, who landed and ruled our Earth in a Golden Age, bringing civilization to mankind.
Can our word “God” have at least two meanings? The Absolute imagining the Universe, in Whom we live and move, and the local “Gods” of Space-Beings, who originate from some advanced planet and from time to time manifest themselves among men? This startling conception could prove the fundamental discovery of our century. Our ancestors believed the Gods, the Spacemen, inspired them.
Gazing aloft in humility at those shining stars amid the dark, unfathomable infinitudes, we marvel at this magic, mysterious Universe and with sudden loneliness wonder who we are and why we find ourselves living now on ancient Earth.
A wondrous Renaissance of cosmic wisdom slowly dawns, soon to shine in spiritual splendor inspiring us all to think as Earth-folk, people of a small but proud planet, eager to meet our fellow men from other worlds. Salvation may descend from the skies. To communicate with the Spacemen on their cultural level, we must soar beyond our earthly ethics and expand to Cosmic Consciousness attuning our souls to all Creation.
—W. RAYMOND DRAKE
Druffel, Ann (b. 1926). A California native, Ann Druffel received her B.A. degree in Sociology from Immaculate Heart College (Hollywood) and did graduate studies toward an M.A. in Social Case Work at the National Catholic School of Social Service (Catholic University, Washington D.C.). She worked for five years as a social caseworker for family-and child-welfare agencies. She retains a lifetime RSW (Registered Social Worker) in California. She married Charles K. Druffel in 1953. They have five daughters.
Ann Druffel
Her interest in UFOs stems from a personal sighting with another adult witness of a luminous daytime object over Long Beach, California in Summer 1945. “Seemingly high above the Earth,” she says, this object released numerous small objects which reflected the sun and disappeared after departing on different paths up and out from the main object She has been a UFO researcher in the Southern California area since 1957, beginning as an investigator for NICAP, and subsequently for MUFON and CUFOS.
Besides her investigative and research work, she was an associate editor of the MUFON UFO Journal from 1977 through 1983, is presently a contributing editor for that journal. and is a consultant for Flying Saucer Review, published in England.
She is Project Coordinator for Skynet, a public filter-center and tracking system, from 1965 to the present. This work has revealed certain correlative patterns in UFO activity on which Druffel has reported in UFO symposia and conferences.
She has been a freelance writer since 1969 with 100+ articles published in the areas of UFOs, psychic phenomena and other subjects, plus film credits (documentary and screenplay). She is the author, with D. Scott Rogo, of The Tujunga Canyon Contacts.
She is currently with the Mobius Society in Los Angeles, assisting in psychic archaeology and intuitive criminology projects, and other experiments into the study of human consciousness. She is an accomplished remote viewer and certified hypnotist.
Address:
257 Sycamore Glen
Pasadena, CA 91105
U.S.A.
POSITION STATEMENT: UFOs present an urgent problem to the human race. For that reason, attitudes of secrecy and deliberate ridicule employed by world governments is dangerous and foolish. The mystery must be solved by physical and social scientists and other professional researchers, including philosophers and theologians. No facet of man’s knowledge should be overlooked in the attempt to unravel this enigma.
UFOs apparently have been with us since prehistoric times; UFOs shapes found in Magdalenian cave art may be evidence that some unknown type of intelligence observed the human race’s evolutionary leap from Neanderthal to Cro-Magnon. UFOs, as described in the Old Testament, seemed instrumental in the formation of the first major monotheistic culture. Reports of “jinns” in Islam, and “incubi” and “succubae” which reportedly harassed humans in medieval times indicate that extradimensional intelligence beings have interacted with the human race; these reports have aspects in common with present-day UFO activity. They cannot explain all UFO reports, however; it is likely that UFOs are multisourced. The multisource hypothesis would include: (1) physical extraterrestrial visitors; (2) unknown life forms normally invisible to us but capable of penetrating into our spacetime; (3) time travelers.
There is little doubt, however, that the human race is currently under observation by unknown order of intelligence(s), interested in human technology, and having particular interest in human reproduction. No reliable communication has been received from UFO entities to date. “Messages” received by witnesses, even considering a multisource hypothesis, are vague, contradictory, and therefore suspect. UFO entities involved in “abduction scenarios” seem to bode ill for the race; however, a growing body of evidence indicates that some closeencounter witnesses have successfully used various metaphysical and mental techniques against them. Intensive research to discover if unwelcome contacts can be fended off should proceed without delay.
—ANN DRUFFEL
E
“Earth Chronicles” The “Earth Chronicles” are a series of books by Zecharia Sitchin that, beginning with The 12th Planet in 1976, combine ancient cuneiform texts, the Hebrew Bible, and recent scientific discoveries to present a cohesive tale of how a renegade planet (Nibiru) became the twelfth member (sun, moon and ten, not nine, planets) of our own solar system, and how its inhabitants, the Anunnaki, began to come and go between their planet and ours some 450,000 years ago.
Coming initially to obtain gold needed to protect the dwindling atmosphere of Nibiru, they ended up creating the “Adam,” a species of primitive workers, by combining their genes with those of the hominids who had evolved on Earth. The events that ensued are echoed in the biblical tales of the Garden of Eden, the Deluge, and the Tower of Babel.
Sitchin’s writings bring to life not only the incredibly advanced civilization of Sumer that blossomed out 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, but also the Anunnaki themselves: Their first leader Ea, also known as Enki; his half-brother the commander Enlil, and their half-sister Ninharsag who was the chief medical officer
The Chronicles follow the tangled tale of gods and men through the millennia, until in 2024 B.C. one clan of Anunnaki used nuclear weapons to deprive another of the spaceport in the Sinai peninsula.
The six books, together with the two companion volumes, Genesis Revisited (1990) and Divine Encounters (1996), throw new light on the enigmas of Mars (what appears to have existed on it and why spacecraft keep getting lost there), the true builders of the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza and their purpose, and the identity of the Divine Architect of the enigmatic colossal stone structures in both the Old and New Worlds.
—ETEP STAFF
References
Sitchin, Zecharia. The 12th Planet (Stein & Day, 1976; Avon, 1978).
________. The Stairway to Heaven (St. Martin’s Press, 1980; Avon, 1981).
________. The Wars of Gods and Men (Avon, 1985).
________. The Lost Realms (Avon, 1990).
________. Genesis Revisited (Avon, 1990).
________. When Time Began (Avon, 1993).
________. Divine Encounters (Avon, 1996).
________. The Cosmic Code (Avon, 1999).
Edge of Reality, The (Henry Regnery, 1975). Two pioneers in the UFO investigative field, J. Allen Hynek and Jacques Vallée, together offer a progress report on research and scenarios for resolution of the extraterrestrial visitation question. Neither of these scientists sees much hope in radio telescope attempts to contact advanced civilizations. They offer seven scenarios on resolving the UFO enigma, ranging from extraterrestrial invasion to surrealistic holograms projected by a cabal of clever scientists.
—RANDALL FITZGERALD
Eighth Tower, The (Saturday Review Press, 1975). John A. Keel speculates that a supers
pectrum of energies encompassing gravity, the magnetic field, and infrasonic sound, control our observation of UFOs, Men in Black, ghosts, Bigfoot, and evil itself. This single intelligent force accounts for all religious, occult, and unexplained phenomena by blindly recording all the electrical impulses of human minds.
—RANDALL FITZGERALD
Elk abduction At approximately 11:58 A.M., on Thursday, February 25, 1999, three forestry workers, located approximately 20 miles west of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State, suddenly noticed a bizarre object—shaped somewhat like the heel of a man’s shoe—drifting slowly toward them. It first appeared over a nearby ridge and was traveling in a northeastly direction. As it approached, the strange “craft” seemed to hug the contour of the terrain below it, and seemed to witnesses to be “flying” in a purposeful manner.
The three workers at first thought the object was some kind of parachute that was drifting and descending, but they quickly realized that their initial impression was wrong. One of the three immediately shouted to the eleven other coworkers nearby; then all fourteen members of the work crew stood on the hillside and watched for an estimated 5 to 10 minutes, as a remarkable chain of events unfolded in the valley below them.
Within seconds of their first observation of the craft, the witnesses realized that it appeared to be moving in the direction of a herd of elk that the crew had been watching all morning. They continued to watch as the object proceeded directly toward the herd, and succeeded in getting quite close to the animals. The animals apparently remained unaware of the object’s presence until it was within a very short distance of the herd.
White dot marks location where elk was abducted in Washington State
Suddenly, the animals became startled and bolted for cover—most of them running up the slope to the east toward a densely wooded area. However, one adult animal was seen by the witnesses to separate itself from the herd and trot generally to the north, along a nearby unused logging road.
The witnesses reported that at this point, the object quickly moved directly above the lone elk and seemed to “pluck” it off the ground, although no visible means of support of the animal was evident to the observers.
The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters Page 31
