"Does this mean we have to buy beer for the entire freekin' universe?"

Skydivers, as a rule, are generally proud of their "firsts" -- the first jump, the first time jumping with a large group and the first time jumping from a jet.  To celebrate, it is traditional for the skydiver to buy the remaining skydiving buddies a case of beer. Well, if any of us actually find the first radio signal from another technological civilization in space, we're going to owe a LOT of beer.

"So . . . what's this really all about anyway," you ask?

The project is called SETI@home and it's a way for normal everyday people like us to do real honest to goodness science with nothing more than our home computers and modems.

SETI stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and many years ago was a program funded by NASA -- now it's privately funded and supported by folks like us.

Maybe you saw the movie Contact with Jodie Foster.  Actually, the famous scientist Dr. Carl Sagan wrote the book on which the movie is based.  In the movie, a group of scientists listen to radio telescopes and search the skies for intelligent life.

This might be where we skydivers have fallen down on the job.  We're in the skies, but apparently not intelligent enough to be picked up on radio.  Anyway . . . I digress.

You can learn more about the specifics of the real life system at the SETI@home web site.

"So wait a minute . . . why the Skydiver Alien Network," you further query?

Well, we're all doing the research as individuals anyway, but we decided to band together and represent at least a small part of the skydiving community.

Lots of different people are getting together in clubs as a sort of mutual support network.  Some people think this is just a normal human need to "join," but of course skydivers would never link up without a good reason -- we're hoping to get on the first load out of a flying saucer.  ;^)

Come join us!