2024 SETI TOUR

$40.00

Limited Availability...book today!

Please read the following information carefully before making your purchase.

This tour has high demand and very limited capacity. Because of the additional time required for clearance, we cannot offer refunds or exchanges with less than 1 full week’s notice. Requests must be made NO LATER than the Friday before your scheduled tour.

Celebrate Green Bank’s historic role in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence with a rare opportunity to see inside our historic telescopes and speak with one of our radio astronomers in person! We begin where it all started, in the control room of the 85-foot telescope used by Frank Drake in the original search, Project Ozma. From there, enjoy access to the 140-foot telescope that hosted Jill Tarter’s Project Phoenix, then take a stroll around the GBT for a close-up view of the world’s largest fully-steerable radio telescope. The tour concludes in the historic Drake Lounge for a conversation with a staff astronomer about the current status and future goals of SETI projects. If you've ever wanted to take a peek inside our historic telescopes or speak with one of our radio astronomers, then this is THE opportunity of a lifetime!

Today, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence at the Green Bank Observatory is led by Breakthrough Listen, which uses the Green Bank Telescope alongside several other major radio telescopes around the world so survey the 1,000,000 closest stars to Earth, scanning the center of our galaxy and the entire galactic plane. Learn more.

SETI Tours are offered select Fridays from 1:00-3:45 PM. $40/person. Advance reservations required; 21 participants max, ages 12 & up. Due to high demand and limited capacity, tours do usually sell out; if you are traveling with a group, we recommend purchasing all tickets together.

Select "Pickup" as your shipping option at checkout. No tickets will be issued. Check in at the Gift Shop or Front Desk upon arrival.
Ticket admits one; no discounts apply.
A clearance check is required. Submit your Visitor Registration Form at least 72 hours in advance to allow ample time for your clearance to come through. https://info.nrao.edu/oas/dpscompliance

Name of AUI/NRAO/GBO Host: Angela Damery
Purpose of Visit: SETI/High Tech Tour
Location - AUI/NRAO/GBO Facility: Choose all 3 Green Bank, WV locations

You will be required to turn off your phone and all electronics while touring most of the Observatory grounds. Digital cameras are not allowed near the telescopes. You may bring a film camera to capture your experiences.

Accessibility Note: access to some of the historical sites visited on this tour does require the use of stairs. Accommodations can be made for parts of the tour with advance notice. Please call 304-456-2150 or email us at visit@gbobservatory.org at least a week in advance of your tour if you need to request an accommodation.

In the event of severe weather conditions, the Green Bank Observatory site and Science Center could close. We will make every attempt to notify ticket holders about closures. Feel free to call us at 304-456-2150 before departing on your trip to our site if you have any concerns.