This student project explores the mysteries of our solar system with NASA's non-profit Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program. It focuses on three planetary objects that life may exist or may have existed in our own stellar neighborhood.
All copy was researched, written, and edited by Katie.
This project is not affiliated with SETI.
The Ocean of Europa
One of Jupiter’s 79 moons, Europa’s vast ocean beneath its icy exterior is considered one of the most promising places to search for life in our solar system.
Insulated from the freezing vacuum of space by the moon’s 10 to 15 mile thick ice crust, and warmed by the kneading power of gravity as its elliptical orbit passes by both Jupiter and other Jovian moons, Europa’s ocean might be the perfect place to find alien life.
Evidence has recently emerged that Europa may be cryo-volcanically active, meaning it may have erupting ice volcanoes. If human ingenuity can send a probe to Europa to splash through these eruptions, we may be able to take a sample of Europa’s liquid water and uncover more of this mysterious moon’s secrets.
If life is so common that it has sprung up in two different places all within the same solar system, it may indicate that our entire universe is teeming with life.
Earth's Twin
Because of their similar size, mass, density, composition, and gravity, Venus is sometimes referred to as Earth’s twin. Venus may have held life over a billion years ago before all of its oceans evaporated.
In many ways Venus is also the opposite of Earth. Despite being the second planet from the sun, Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system at about 820° to 900° F —hot enough to melt lead. It spins backwards and its days are longer than its year.
Made up of mostly carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds, the atmosphere of Venus is so dense that standing on its surface would be like standing under 0.6 miles of ocean on Earth. The longest a probe has remained functional on Venus is only two hours.
But Venus may still harbor life yet, despite its hellish conditions. Higher in Venus’s atmosphere where the pressure more closely resembles Earth’s, temperatures drop to 86° to 158° F, cool enough to allow microbial life to survive in Venus’s toxic clouds.
The Red Planet
With three operational rovers, eight orbiters, a helicopter, and a stationary lander, Mars is the most researched planet in our solar system. Mars is the closest planet to Earth. However, it is a notoriously difficult planet to land man-made objects on, as its thin atmosphere provides far less resistance to slow down objects as they hurtle toward the ground.
Not only does an abundance of ice exist on Mars, there is also liquid, flowing water. Some scientists believe there very well could be microbial life on Mars right now, while some think it may have existed in the distant past.
If life is found on Mars, it is not guaranteed to be Martian—it may have originated from Earthling microbial life that hitched a ride on an asteroid. Similarly, Earth life may have begun from Martian microbial life. Determining if life on Earth and Mars originated from two different sources will be an entirely new endeavor.
Thank you!
