Well-known American Astrophysicist, Frank Drake, dies at 92

Frank Drake was an American astronomer and astrophysicist. He was involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, including the founding of SETI, mounting the first observational attempts at detecting extraterrestrial communications in 1960 in Project Ozma, developing the Drake equation, and as the creator of the Arecibo Message, a digital encoding of an astronomical and biological description of the Earth and its lifeforms for transmission into the cosmos.

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American astronomer and astrophysicist passed away at 92

Frank Drake, the American radio astronomer, and astrophysicist who pioneered work on the hunt for extraterrestrial life died on September 2 at his home in Aptos, California, at the age of 92. “He had had no clue at the time what this equation was going to become, what it was going to represent,” says Drake’s daughter Nadia, a contributing writer at National Geographic.

“The fact that people would really have it tattooed on themselves, that it would be on the side of a U-Haul, that it would be consistently mentioned as one of the most well-known equations in physics is still so entertaining to him.”

Frank Drake Age, Family, Early Life

Frank Drake was born on May 28, 1930 (92 years old) in Chicago, Illinois, the U.S. He holds an American nationality and belongs to the white ethnicity. His Zodiac sign is Gemini.

frank drake death

So yes, There is currently no verified information about Frank Drake’s parents yet.

Frank Drake’s career, what is his profession?

Although explicitly linked with modern views on the likelihood and detectability of extraterrestrial civilizations, Drake started his career undertaking radio astronomical research at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, West Virginia, and later at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

He provided important measurements that confirmed the presence of a Jovian ionosphere and magnetosphere. In the 1960s, Drake spearheaded the conversion of the Arecibo Observatory to a radio astronomical observatory, later modified in 1974 and 1996.

As a researcher, Drake was part in the early studies on pulsars. In this period, Drake was a professor at Cornell University and director of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) – the formal name for the Arecibo facility.

In 1974 he wrote the Arecibo message. He is one of the pioneers of the contemporary field of the quest for alien intelligence with Giuseppe Cocconi, Philip Morrison, Iosif Shklovsky, and Carl Sagan. In 1972, with Carl Sagan and Linda Salzman Sagan, Drake co-designed the Pioneer plaque – the first concrete message sent into space.  

The plaque was supposed to be understood by extraterrestrials should they encounter it. He later supervised the fabrication of the Voyager Golden Record. He was a professor of astronomy at Cornell University (1964–1984) and served as the director of the Arecibo Observatory.

As of 2010, he was involved with “The Carl Sagan Center for the Study of life in the Universe” at the SETI Institute. He was an emeritus professor of astronomy and astrophysics[10] at the University of California at Santa Cruz where he also served as dean of Natural Sciences (1984–1988). (1984–1988). He served on the board of trustees of the SETI Institute.

How much is Frank Drake Net worth?

American astronomer and astrophysicist Frank Drake was worth 6 million dollars when he died. 

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Which school and college did he go to?

American astronomer and astrophysicist Frank Drake entered Cornell University on a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship. Once there he began studying astronomy.

Frank Drake Wife, What about his Children?

American astronomer and astrophysicist Frank Drake’s first wife is Elizabeth Procter Bell. They married in 1952 and divorced in 1976. After then he married Amahl Shakhashiri ​in 1978. He has 5 Children including Nadia Drake.

frank drake daughter
American astronomer and astrophysicist Frank Drake with his Daughter Nadia Drake.

Is he available on any kind of social media platforms?

We did a quick search for the social media presence of Frank Drake but weren’t able to find him on any social media platforms.

Physical Appearance of Frank Drake’s Height, Weight

HeightNot Available
Hair ColorWhite
Eye colorGrey
WeightNot Available
Body typeFit
Sexual orientationStraight

Interesting facts about Frank Drake’s should be knows

NationalityAmerican
EthnicityWhite
Zodiac signGemini
Relationship StatusMarried

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