What is Project Phoenix?
Project Phoenix is the name of the SETI Institute’s research project to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The name derives from the mythological Egyptian bird that rose from the ashes of its own demise — in the case of SETI, the ashes of congressional funding cuts. After the HRMS Targeted Search was canceled, the Institute quickly moved to retain the core science and engineering team of that effort, and with help from its subcontractors, upgraded and expanded the Targeted Search electronics and software. That equipment is now being used to search the vicinities of nearby stars for signs of technological civilizations, the core activity of Project Phoenix. In addition to conducting this mammoth search, the SETI Institute is also spurring a parallel effort to design and develop systems of much greater capability, as well as supporting other research and educational projects.
Project Phoenix is the name of the SETI Institute’s research project to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The name derives from the mythological Egyptian bird that rose from the ashes of its own demise — in the case of SETI, the ashes of congressional funding cuts. After the HRMS Targeted Search was canceled, the Institute quickly moved to retain the core science and engineering team of that effort, and with help from its subcontractors, upgraded and expanded the Targeted Search electronics and software. That equipment is now being used to search the vicinities of nearby stars for signs of technological civilizations, the core activity of Project Phoenix. In addition to conducting this mammoth search, the SETI Institute is also spurring a parallel effort to design and develop systems of much greater capability, as well as supporting other research and educational projects.
