Stéphane Dumas (1970 – 2016)

by | Jun 17, 2016 | Uncategorized | 3 comments

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The interstellar community is a small one, and reporting the loss of one of our number is not easy. SETI researcher Stéphane Dumas, who had been working with Claudio Maccone on the application of the Karhunen-Loève transform (KLT) for SETI observations, has died unexpectedly at his home in Quebec. I remember a wonderful conversation with Stéphane at one of the 100 Year Starship meetings in Houston, where we got into a spirited exchange about interstellar propulsion. It was, alas, the only time I spent with the man, but he was also active on the advisory board for Jon Lomberg’s One Earth Message project, and so we interacted electronically. Below is a video of Stéphane and Claudio Maccone presenting the latest work in mathematical SETI. You’ll find Stéphane’s talk at about 34:56 on the counter.

[youtube djzCAc0pXx8 500 416]

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3 Comments

  1. Michael on June 17, 2016 at 21:20

    It is a sad loss, all the more felt in a small community. His dreams are now our labours and though our labours one day his dreams will come true, we will see creatures made of stardust just like us.

    RIP

  2. Michael Chorost on June 28, 2016 at 16:40

    How sad! His work with Yvan Dutil to create the “Encounter 2001” message (which was actually transmitted to a number of target stars) was brilliant and I discuss it at length in my book-in-progress. I am very sorry to hear this news.

  3. Carson on June 28, 2016 at 17:05

    I’m little late. This blows. He was way to young. Here one minute and just gone the next. Difficult to comprehend.

    I only corresponded with him once through him, but I always enjoyed reading his material on ActiveSeti.org

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In Centauri Dreams, Paul Gilster looks at peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration, with an eye toward interstellar possibilities. For many years this site coordinated its efforts with the Tau Zero Foundation. It now serves as an independent forum for deep space news and ideas. In the logo above, the leftmost star is Alpha Centauri, a triple system closer than any other star, and a primary target for early interstellar probes. To its right is Beta Centauri (not a part of the Alpha Centauri system), with Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon Crucis, stars in the Southern Cross, visible at the far right (image courtesy of Marco Lorenzi).

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