Frank Drake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Drake
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Drake speaking at Cornell University in 2017
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| Born |
Frank Donald Drake
May 28, 1930 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | September 2, 2022 (aged 92) Aptos, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | |
| Known for |
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| Spouse(s) |
Elizabeth Procter Bell
(m. 1952; div. 1976)Amahl Shakhashiri
(m. 1978) |
| Children | 5, including Nadia |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy, astrophysics |
| Institutions | University of California, Santa Cruz, SETI |
| Doctoral advisor | Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin |
Frank Donald Drake (born May 28, 1930 – died September 2, 2022) was a famous American scientist. He was an astrophysicist and astrobiologist. This means he studied space and the possibility of life beyond Earth.
He started his career as a radio astronomer. He used radio telescopes to study planets in our Solar System and objects called pulsars. Later, Drake became very interested in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). This is the search for life outside of Earth.
In 1960, he started Project Ozma. This was an early attempt to listen for messages from aliens. Drake also created the Drake equation. This equation helps scientists guess how many intelligent civilizations might exist in our galaxy.
Working with another famous scientist, Carl Sagan, Drake helped design the Pioneer plaque. This was the first message from Earth sent into deep space. He also helped create the Voyager Golden Record. This record carries sounds and images from Earth. In 1974, Drake also designed the Arecibo message. This was a radio message sent into space with information about Earth.
Drake worked at several important places. These included the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the SETI Institute.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Frank Drake was born on May 28, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. From a young age, he loved electronics and chemistry. When he was eight, he wondered if life could exist on other planets. He thought that if humans came about by chance, then other civilizations might also exist.
He went to Cornell University on a scholarship. There, he began studying astronomy. His ideas about alien life were strengthened by a lecture from scientist Otto Struve in 1951. After college, Drake served briefly in the Navy.
He then went to Harvard University for graduate school from 1952 to 1955. He earned his master's and Ph.D. degrees in Astronomy. His main teacher was Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.
Discoveries and Projects
Drake started his research career as a radio astronomer. He worked at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) from 1958 to 1963. At NRAO, he used radio telescopes to study planets.
He discovered parts of Jupiter's atmosphere and magnetic field. He also observed the atmosphere of Venus. Drake also helped improve the Arecibo Observatory. This allowed it to be used for radio astronomy.
Project Ozma: Listening for Aliens
In April 1959, Drake got permission to start Project Ozma. This project aimed to search for radio messages from aliens. At first, they kept it a secret. They worried people might make fun of them.
But then, other scientists published a paper about searching for alien signals. So, Drake decided to make his project public. Project Ozma began in 1960. Drake used a 26-meter radio telescope to listen for signals from two star systems. No alien signals were found, and the project ended in July 1960.
After hearing about Project Ozma, Carl Sagan contacted Drake. This started a long friendship and working relationship between them.
The Drake Equation
In 1961, Frank Drake created the Drake equation. This famous equation tries to estimate the number of alien civilizations in our Milky Way galaxy. These are civilizations that we might be able to detect.
The Drake equation is very well-known in science. Some even say it's the "second most-famous equation in science," after E=mc2.
Messages to Space
In 1972, Drake worked with Carl Sagan and Linda Salzman Sagan. They designed the Pioneer plaque. This was a golden plaque attached to the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft. It was the first physical message sent into space. The plaque was designed to be understood by any advanced alien life that might find it.
In 1974, Drake wrote the Arecibo message. This was the first radio message sent on purpose from Earth into space. It contained information about Earth, humans, and our solar system.
Later, he helped develop the Voyager Golden Record. This was an improved version of the Pioneer plaque. It was sent on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft. It included sounds and music from Earth, along with images.
Later Career and SETI
In 1984, Drake moved to the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC). He became the Dean of Natural Science there. The same year, the non-profit SETI Institute was founded. Drake became the president of its board.
He retired from teaching in 1996. However, he remained a professor at UCSC. He also continued to work with the SETI Institute. Frank Drake believed that finding other life forms in the universe would be the most amazing discovery.
Personal Life
Frank Drake enjoyed hobbies like cutting and polishing stones (lapidary). He also liked growing orchids.
He had five children, including science journalist Nadia Drake.
Frank Drake passed away on September 2, 2022. He was 92 years old and died at his home in Aptos, California.
Honors
- Asteroid 4772 Frankdrake was named after him.
- He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1972.
- He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1974.
- He received the 2001 Drake award from the SETI Institute.
- He received the 2018 National Space Society's Space Pioneer Award for Science and Engineering.
See also
In Spanish: Frank Drake para niños
- Lick Observatory
- The Farthest, a 2017 documentary about the Voyager program
- The Search for Life: The Drake Equation
