Phelps Kranzler Drake Equation / Sara Urbaez / May 2, 2018 10:10 AM
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler01The Green Bank Observatory is home to seven radio telescopes, and the signals they're hunting for can easily be drowned out by the human-made ones coming from Wi-Fi and cell phones.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler02Cedric Woodell, 15, lives on the same land his ancestors homesteaded in the 18th century. His family hunts bears and harvests maple syrup.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler03Bumper stickers plaster a vehicle in the Green Bank area, which attracts mystic scientists, gun-loving locals, and electromagnetic hypersensitives looking to escape technology.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler04Frank Ghigo works in the control room for the Green Bank Telescope, sometimes referred to by locals as the Great Big Thing.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler05Out-of-date equipment remains visible at the observatory for students to see.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler06Snow blankets a field near a road in Green Bank.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler07The Green Bank Telescope is the largest fully steerable telescope in the world, with a dish diameter of 100 meters. This is its receiving room, where signals are collected.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler08Jim "Chief" Warner is from one of the oldest local families in the region, where the US government created the National Radio Quiet Zone in 1958.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler09"Wi-Fi Refugee" Diane Schou maintains this small cabin as a starting point for electromagnetic hypersensitives who relocate to the area. It is completely off the grid, providing a safe haven for folks with electrical sensitivity.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler10For years, Wayne ran Wayne's Stop 'n' Shop, a gas station in the Green Bank Area that also offered gun cleaning and repair. Because of the limitations on technology, very few businesses exist in the Quiet Zone.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler11This is one of the longest-standing structures at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia. It stores old equipment.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler12Technicians at the Green Bank Observatory like this one spend hours hunting for extraterrestrial life.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler13Diane Schou is a self-proclaimed "Wi-Fi Refugee." She moved to the Green Bank area years ago and now helps others relocate. She constantly monitors her home for any kind of electromagnetic waves.
Andrew Phelps and Paul Kranzler14Tom grew up in the valley where the observatory is located, a place bordered by mountains that shield it from spurious radio transmissions.
