It's a nice gesture by Foster, for sure, but she'd have better used her money on other space projects.
The Alan Array of the Seti Institute will only be of much use if they can build out to 350 Arrays from the current 42. Supporting just $200,000 to keep the 42 operational isn't going to do anything but keep the pretty useless current array working!
Also just so you know SETI @ home doesn't rely on the Allan Array - they're separate.
The SETI Institute was pretty much a boondoggle: Alan gave them money to build an array of 350 telescopes, but they screwed up and only built 42, essentially wasting the funds. Here's other info: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/3304581.html
The Alan Array of the Seti Institute will only be of much use if they can build out to 350 Arrays from the current 42. Supporting just $200,000 to keep the 42 operational isn't going to do anything but keep the pretty useless current array working!
Also just so you know SETI @ home doesn't rely on the Allan Array - they're separate.
The SETI Institute was pretty much a boondoggle: Alan gave them money to build an array of 350 telescopes, but they screwed up and only built 42, essentially wasting the funds. Here's other info: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/3304581.html