Is NRAO doing SETI work?
Radio observations as part of a Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) have been done by different groups of researchers for a number of years, but this type of work is not a part of NRAO observational programs. For the most part, our radio telescopes have been designed and built for other astronomical purposes. For example, the VLA and the VLBA are specifically designed for high-resolution imaging. At the moment, the SETI Institute, a privately-funded organization, is purchasing observing time on the 140-foot radio telescope in Green Bank, which NRAO is retiring from other research in anticipation of the new Green Bank Telescope coming on-line.
