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| Ganymede (NASA photo) |
NASA is no longer using the “if” word for prefacing discussions about finding alien life.
As far as Interim Director of Heliophysics Jeffrey Newmark is concerned, the “if” is now a “when.” Chief
Scientist Ellen Stofan adds: We know where to look, we
know how to look, and in
most cases we have the technology.
Nevertheless, Stofan cautions that “alien life” does not necessarily mean “little green men.” It might
instead mean “little [very little] microbes.”
What leads these esteemed scientists to believe that life exists beyond Earth? Recent discoveries on Mars suggest that “50 percent of the planet’s northern hemisphere once had oceans up to a mile deep for… up to 1.2 billion years.” Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is now known to have “a large liquid ocean beneath its icy crust.”
Director of Planetary Science Jim Green thus concludes that “the solar system is really a soggy place.”
Since water and life are closely linked, “soggy” bodes well for astrobiological exploration.
Resources
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nasa-we%E2%80%99ll-find-alien-life-in-10-to-20-years/ar-AAayMCL
Copyright April 7, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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