(The Scientist, Vol:8, #10, May 16, 1994)
Renamed Project Phoenix, for the mythical creature that rises anew from its own ashes, the world's largest, most comprehensive atempt to search for signs of intelligent life forms in other parts of the universe continues to function, despite being cut out of the federal budget last year. The effort--formerly under the aegis of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and called "Project SETI" (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)--will now be funded by a number of private sources, rather than through the money originally designated by NASA.
Even the principal faces on the project remain familiar, particularly that of John Billingham, who has joined the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., as a distinguished senior scientist. The British-born physician--who in the early 1960s invented the liquid cooling garment that made moon walking possible--was the chief of SETI operations at NASA. He retired on April ...
