Third IAA Symposium on Searching for Life Signatures
St. Petersburg, Russia, June 27-30, 2011
Rationale
SETI (the “Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence”) refers to the experiments intended to find either radio or optical signals from extraterrestrial societies situated on planets around other stars. The largest radio telescopes world-wide have occasionally pursued SETI searches since 1960, in most cases hunting for signals near in frequency to 1420 MHz (the emission line of neutral hydrogen). Optical SETI searches have been pursued since the 1990s. These attempts to detect extraterrestrial signals are called “Passive SETI”.
In recent years, a new kind of SETI, called “Active SETI” or “METI” (the “Messaging to ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence”), has been discussed by radio astronomers and has actually been attempted in a few cases: it consists of deliberately transmitting signals to enhance the probability of making contact with other hypothetical galactic technological civilizations. In addition, the discovery since 1995 of more than 500 extrasolar planets makes it clear that both Passive and Active SETI may now be “targeted” towards exoplanets that are situated within habitable zones, further increasing the probability of a SETI success.
In conclusion, it is now timely to gather a large conference of experts in SETI, biosignatures, the search for terrestrial exoplanets and related disciplines from all over the globe to openly discuss the strategies of both Passive and Active SETI. These are the goals of the “Searching for Life Signatures” Conference that will take place in St. Petersburg, June 27th thru 30th, 2011, in the week just prior to the “ORIGINS” IAU Commission 55 Conference that will take place at Montpellier, France, July 3rd thru 8th, 2011.
Program
Monday, June 27, 2011
Opening
Co-chairmans: Andrey Finkelstein and Claudio Maccone
| 10:00 — 10:15 | A. Finkelstein (Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences). Welcome address. |
| 10:15 — 10:30 | C. Maccone (International Academy of Astronautics) Welcome address. |
Session 1
Chairman — Claudio Maccone
| 10:30 — 11:10 | M. Marov (Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences ). About some problems of planetary cosmogony. |
| 11:10 — 11:35 | A. Tutukov (Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences) Stars — Planets — Life — Civilization. |
| 11:35 — 12:00 | N. Sokulina (Geostroicom Ltd.) Red dwarves' planetary systems and their civilisations. |
| 12:00 — 12:30 | Coffee break |
Session 2
Chairman — Andrey Finkelstein
| 12:30 — 13:10 | A. Rozanov (Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences). Life on the Early Earth. |
| 13:10 — 13:35 | A. Panov (Lomonosov Moscow State University). Prebiological panspermia and the hypothesis of the self-consistent Galaxy origin of life. |
| 13:35 — 14:00 | M. Abubekerov, N. Gostev, A. Cherepaschuk (Sternberg State Astronomical Institute of Lomonosov Moscow State University). The analysis of multicolor light curve of the binary system with exoplanet HD 189733. |
| 14:00 — 16:00 | Lunch |
Session 3
Chairman — Anatoly Cherepaschuk
| 16:00 — 16:25 | C. Maccone (International Academy of Astronautics) Statistics for Exoplanets and ET Civilizations. |
| 16:25 — 16:50 | A. Panov (Lomonosov Moscow State University). Dynamical generalizations of the Drake equation: the linear and non-linear Theories. |
| 16:50 — 17:15 | Yu. Efremov (Sternberg State Astronomical Institute of Lomonosov Moscow State University). The greatest mystery of the Universe. |
| 17:15 — 17:40 | S. Dumas (SETI League). The possibility of an interstellar empire. |
| 17:40 — 18:05 | S. Yazev (Astronomical Observatory of Irkutsk State University). The end of Society and SETI Problem. |
| 18:05 — 18:30 | G. Gontcharov (Central (Pulkovo) Astronomical Observatory). The WOW signal star. |
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Session 4
Chairman — Yury Efremov
| 10:00 — 10:25 | I. Gurevich (Institute of Informatics Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences). What Are The Similarities and Differences Between Civilizations in The Universe? |
| 10:25 — 10:50 | C. Maccone (International Academy of Astronautics). Filtering Signals by The KLT Rather than by The FFT. |
| 10:50 — 11:15 | R. Faizullin (Dostoyevsky Omsky State University). SETI and cryptographic problem of formation and recognition the mark of message beginning. |
| 11:15 — 12:00 | A. Zaitsev (Kotel'nikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences). METI: Messaging to Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence |
| 12:00 — 12:20 | Coffee break |
Session 5
Chairman — Alexander Zaitsev
| 12:20 — 12:45 | S. Dumas (SETI League). Writing a letter to ET. |
| 12:45 — 13:10 | S. Dumas (SETI League). Principal Component Analysis and Applications. |
| 13:10 — 13:35 | L. Gindilis (Sternberg State Astronomical Institute of Lomonosov Moscow State University). Is it dangerous or not to transmit signals? |
| 13:35 — 14:00 | C. Maccone (International Academy of Astronautics). Space Missions to The Sun Focus at 550 AU |
| 14:00 — 14:25 | C. Maccone (International Academy of Astronautics). The United Nations to Protect The Moon Farside. |
| 14:25 — 16:00 | Lunch |
Closing
Chairman — Mikhail Marov
| 16:00 — 17:45 | General discussion |
| 17:45 — 18:00 | A. Finkelstein (Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences). Closing. |
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
| 09:00 — 17:00 | Excursion to the Radio Astronomical Observatory “Svetloe”. |