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RIP Frank Drake, pioneering astronomer, astrophysicist and creator of the Drake Equation [1]
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Date: 2022-09-03
Frank D Drake (May 28, 1930 – September 2, 2022), one of the giants in the field of astronomy and astrophysics, left the bonds of Earth and headed for the stars yesterday. He was 92.
Drake was one of the most admired scientists, an exemplary human being and an inspiration to many. He was well-known for his pioneering efforts in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, the Arecibo message and the famous Drake equation.
x He was there when I entered this world, and I was there when he left:
Frank D Drake, May 28, 1930 - September 2, 2022.
Rest among the stars, my sweetest Papa D. You will always be my brightest star.
More info here:
https://t.co/Bt60VCfrxa pic.twitter.com/vyo7ZQq5G4 — Dr. Nadia Drake (@nadiamdrake) September 2, 2022
Frank Drake served as Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Dean of Natural Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, after having been at Cornell and serving as the founding Director of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center. He was the first president of the SETI Institute, and was President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific during its Centennial.
The Drake Equation
The famous Drake equation is shown in this plaque, which adorns the wall of the conference room where the equation was presented on Nov 1, 1961, at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory site in Green Bank, West Virginia. It provides a mathematical approach to answering the question — is there intelligent life out there that can be detected by us?
In the Drake equation,
N = the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which communication might be possible (i.e. which are on our current past light cone);
and
R ∗ = the average rate of star formation in our Galaxy
f p = the fraction of those stars that have planets
n e = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets
f l = the fraction of planets that could support life that actually develop life at some point
f i = the fraction of planets with life that actually go on to develop intelligent life (civilizations)
f c = the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space
L = the length of time for which such civilizations release detectable signals into space
Frank Drake wrote -
At the conference, we plugged in our best estimates for each of the factors, and found that the product of the first six factors on the right hand side came out to roughly the value of 1. Thus the value of N seemed to hinge solely on the value of L — how long intelligent, communicative civilizations could survive. At the end of the meeting, Struve offered a toast: “To the value of L. May it prove to be a very large number.”
L — how long intelligent, communicative civilizations could survive — that is difficult to estimate, since we have no real data points. We are still a fledging society, likely with a small L value, the way we are going, and we can hope that other civilizations will do or have done better and raise the average value of L.
Estimates of N vary from 0 to 15,600,000.
Here is the esteemed Carl Sagan explaining the Drake Equation and performing some calculations to estimate N.
The Genesis of the Drake Equation
In 1960, soon after some new discussions about extraterrestrial civilizations, Drake made the first systematic search for radio signals from communicative extraterrestrial civilizations, using the 85-foot radio telescope at Green Bank, WV, as part of a project he named Ozma. It detected no signals, after 150 hours of observations over a 4-month period.
Soon thereafter, Drake hosted a "search for extraterrestrial intelligence" meeting at the Green Bank facility in 1961. Drake recalled -
As I planned the meeting, I realized a few day[s] ahead of time we needed an agenda. And so I wrote down all the things you needed to know to predict how hard it's going to be to detect extraterrestrial life. And looking at them it became pretty evident that if you multiplied all these together, you got a number, N, which is the number of detectable civilizations in our galaxy. This was aimed at the radio search, and not to search for primordial or primitive life forms.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Frank Drake, circa 1961, Green Bank, WV.
Other Notable Contributions
Drake was the creator of the Arecibo Message, a digital encoding of an astronomical and biological description of the Earth and its lifeforms for transmission into the cosmos, broadcast via radio waves from the Arecibo Observatory in 1974, for whoever out there listening for a signal from us.
Drake was also involved (with Carl Sagan and others) in the design of the plaques carried on the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft and the “Golden Record” carried on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft.
x In addition to the well-known sounds on my Golden Record, images like these were included as a beacon of humanity to those I might encounter on my journey.
I carry this message into the cosmos thanks to astronomy pioneers like Dr. Frank Drake (1930-2022). pic.twitter.com/zeHwD8k5AC — NASA Voyager (@NASAVoyager) September 3, 2022
Tributes
x Frank Drake (1930-2022) left an indelible mark on our planet. We will miss him deeply. Our deepest condolences to his family. Rest with the stars, Frank. pic.twitter.com/1vmA8w2frC — The SETI Institute (@SETIInstitute) September 2, 2022
x We are saddened by the passing of Dr. Frank Drake.
Drake was driven by the question of whether we are alone in the universe. His work, including the famous Drake Equation, has shaped the search for life for decades.
Our CEO @BillNye shares his thoughts on Drake's passing here. pic.twitter.com/8YfioNqImQ — Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) September 2, 2022
x We mourn the loss of Dr. Frank Drake who served as Director of the Arecibo Observatory from 66-68, responsible for designing the content of the message sent to space, and the author of the Drake equation. Rest in the stars, Dr. Drake. Thank you for your legacy. pic.twitter.com/sd5dfLdQpJ — Arecibo Observatory (@NAICobservatory) September 2, 2022
x Frank Drake was an amazing and brave man. Here is an image of Frank at @TheNRAO in 1959, the same year he began planning the first scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence (source: NRAO Archives). pic.twitter.com/ib0He5OtXq — Rebecca Charbonneau (@StellarHistory) September 2, 2022
x Frank Drake was an extraordinary scientist, and exemplary human being. Frank was an inspiration to many. I had the great fortune to work with him on SETI programs over two decades, and share countless observing nights. Frank, we will continue to listen with you in the stars. pic.twitter.com/OWOMi6S54P — Shelley Wright (@ikashell) September 3, 2022
x One of the things I admired most about Frank Drake was the optimism he felt towards international cooperation; even at the height of the Cold War he frequently reached out to and supported his Soviet colleagues. Here is an image of Drake's Ozma radiometer, reproduced in Russian. pic.twitter.com/b2gSwdyzp6 — Rebecca Charbonneau (@StellarHistory) September 2, 2022
x Brokenhearted to hear that Frank Drake, pioneer of our search for life beyond Earth, returned his borrowed stardust to the cosmos today. Here is his longtime collaborator and @SETIInstitute co-founder Jill Tarter reading a poem inspired by his legacy
https://t.co/fN3STpseO8 — Maria Popova (@brainpicker) September 2, 2022
Epilogue
RIP Frank Drake.
What are your memories of Frank Drake? Did his works have an effect on your thinking or your career?
Please share you knowledge and insights about the Drake Equation.
What is your estimate of L and N?
Further Reading
[END]
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