Life in Outer Space

Life in Outer SpaceATSBI4U

Extraterrestrials, Society & Media

ExplorationIs the Sun the only star with life around it?There are millions of planets orbiting stars in our galaxy, one of them must contain lifeExploration around other starsAbout 100 foundPlanets with similar environments to Earth may sustain lifeExplorations of Mars and EuropaFuture explorations will give better results

Exploration(contd)Astrobiology uncovering new organismsLife prominent in certain zones on EarthSome similar environments are bottom of frozen lakes and Earths crustNew microorganisms found in Idaho; called methanogens and live 700ft below Earths crustGives us ideas of what to look for in similar places

MarsVery similar to EarthViking Landers sent in 1970sDiscovered that it is cold, has a thin atmosphere and no waterViking Landers executed Labelled Release testsNutrients dropped into Mars soil; tested for changes and checked if they were organically inducedPositive results were acquiredSome scientists were sceptical and rejected the idea of life on Mars; believed that oxides caused chemical reactions in soil

Mars(contd)In 1996 NASA discovered life on Martian meteorite ALH84001Found fossilised bacteria and organic chemicalsScientists again did not believe it and rejected it; believed they were non-living mineralsBoth these observations needed more insight and researchThe Mars Global Explorer showed dense atmosphere and water in past

EuropaJupiters sixth largest moonIn 1995 a Galilean probe took pictures of surfaceThere are cracks in the iceThere are probably oceans below the iceGeothermal heat and tidal pumping keep water from turning into iceMay be thermal vents at the bottom of oceansGravitational pulls from Jupiter and other moons also produce warmth

Europa(contd)Similar to Arctic Sea and Lake Vostok in AntarcticaLake Vostok lies under 15,000ft of iceMicrobes found in freshwater iceThis means there may also be life in Europas oceansOnly question is: How do they survive without light?Could be similar to methanogens which do not need lightNational Research Council advises NASA to explore Europa

SETISearch for Extraterrestrial IntelligenceThis organization began in 1959Searching for extraterrestrial life by means of microwave radiosFirst proposed by Giuseppi Cocconi and Philip MorrisonIn early 1960s Frank Drake conducts first microwave radio searchProject Ozma did not acquire any results but got others interestedSoviet Union dominated SETI; searched the sky instead of stars

SETI(contd)Bernard Oliver introduces Project Cyclops in late 1970s; analyzed science and technology issues in SETISETI was now growing and radio astronomers conducted searchesSome projects include: Planetary Societys Project META, UCLAs SERENDIP Project and observations at Ohio State UniversityThere were new programs at NASAs Ames Research Center and at Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL)Created a joint search; Ames does Targeted Search on stars and JPL searches skyIn 1988 NASA funds the idea and in 1992 observations begin

SETI(contd)In one year Congress ends funding from NASASETI Institute continues with private fundingLots of long-term projects such as: SERENDIP(Search for Extraterrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations) and observations at SETI Australia CenterAustralians brought SERENDIP technology to do experimentsFuture goals include building an array of telescopes known as Allen Telescope ArrayLarge radio arrays will also be builtThis is just the beginning; people believe SETI will find something

ConclusionWe should first search our own solar system before the rest of the galaxyMore organizations like SETIShould stop being brainwashed by the media

BibliographyLife On Europa. (n.d.). In Astrocentral. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/lifeoneuropa.htmlLife On Mars. (n.d.). In Astrocentral. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/lifeonmars.htmlSERENDIP. (n.d.). In The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence at UC Berkeley. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://seti.ssl.berkeley.edu/serendipSETI 101. (n.d.). In SETI Institute. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://www.seti.org/node/662The Search For Life In Outer Space. (n.d.). In Astrocentral. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/life.htmlWilliams, D. R. (2006, December 18). Viking Mission To Mars. In NASA. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html

Image Bibliographycdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/SETI1.jpgnssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/spacecraft/viking_lander_model.jpgpeacesymbols.org/svg/art/opencl.part.org/laurent_little_green_alien-800px.pngupload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/ALH84001_structures.jpg/300px-ALH84001_structures.jpgupload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Europa-moon.jpg/275px-Europa-moon.jpgwww.thewatcherfiles.com/images/alien3.jpgwww.universogp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/250px-Mars_Valles_Marineris.jpeg