Every other world in this guide is out of reach. This one isn't.
In 1960, astronomer Frank Drake pointed a radio telescope at two nearby stars and listened. That telescope, and the observatory around it, is still standing in rural West Virginia — and the public can walk into its control room.
Green Bank Observatory sits inside the National Radio Quiet Zone, a region where cell signals and wifi are restricted to protect its radio telescopes from interference. It's remote, deliberately so — and it's where Project Ozma, the first modern SETI experiment, listened for a signal from beyond Earth.
Video via YouTube — 12 News, a tour inside the Green Bank Telescope
Step inside the control room used for Project Ozma in 1960 — the only time the public can access it.
Used for a later, more sensitive SETI search led by astronomer Jill Tarter.
A close-up view of the world's largest steerable dish, still used for Breakthrough Listen, the largest current SETI search.
Everywhere else in this guide, we've been explicit that nothing is bookable through UniverseTrips — the other worlds are years away or scientifically unresolved. Green Bank is different: it's a real observatory running real public tours right now. We're not selling the ticket; the observatory does that directly. But we'd be underselling the story if we didn't tell you that you can actually go.