The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) was officially initiated by the United States in the latter half of the 20th Century. The purpose of the program was to find some sort of conclusive evidence that intelligent life existed beyond the confines of our planet. Employing banks of radio telescopes and other detection equipment, SETI scans the skies hoping to find proof of extraterrestrial life in the form of radio transmissions and other activity. Although the program has yet to find such proof, the effort has produced many useful benefits to astronomy, telecommunications, and other high-tech fields.