What does the red mean?

[v0031]

Is there life in space? Are we alone? We have asked these questions for centuries. Scientists are trying to find out if anybody is out there. The researchers are from SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). Its mission is, "to understand and explain the origin...of life...and the evolution of intelligence". Scientists will scan the sky for signs of alien life. "Citizen scientists" will use the data to spot things missed by scientists.
Scientists will use giant radio telescopes to look for "techno-signatures" of alien life. These include chemicals, large amounts of oxygen, non-natural structures, and lasers. It is the first time a project will search the entire sky. An astronomer said finding out if we are alone, "is among the [biggest] questions in science". Another scientist said we are getting closer to finding out if aliens exist. She said science fiction is now "almost mainstream" science.

[PSOL]

The first phrase refers to amateur or public investigators not apart of the overall project and/or not having official qualifications.

The second phrase refers to how humanity is close in the eyes of this researcher that we will interact with aliens, a common event in science fiction. The acceptance of there being aliens in the eyes of more conventionally scientific wisdom is that there might be alien life.