Frank Drake, the astronomer who pioneered the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence, passed away in 2022. He created the Drake Equation and launched Project Ozma in 1960, transforming the hunt for alien life from science fiction into legitimate scientific inquiry.
·Drake developed the famous equation that estimates the number of communicative civilizations in the galaxy
·Project Ozma in 1960 was the first systematic search for radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence
·He transformed SETI from fringe speculation into mainstream scientific research
·Drake's work established the intellectual framework for decades of alien-hunting efforts that continue today
drawn from SETI, Astronomy.com, thegazette.com, Drake University Newsroom · updated 4d ago