Search for alien intelligence. Conceptual image of an astronomer using a 76 cm optical reflecting telescope to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The green light at upper right depicts a signal from outer space. He is working at the Leuschner Observatory, near San Francisco, USA. This image represents some of the work of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project. This project was set up by NASA and involved radio telescopes scanning the sky for radio signals from extraterrestrial civilisations. NASA support was cancelled due to funding diffi- culties, yet a portion of the project continues through private funding at the SETI institute.