Popular and well known movie franchise Alein vs Predator
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Popular TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast
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Designer computers available to those with deep enough pockets
Example of an Alien Ware Computer
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Presentation by SL
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The Study of Astrobiology Habitable Zones Drakes Equation
Current Research
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No-not Alien hunting
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Astrobiology: the study of the origin, evolution, distribution,
and future of life in the universe Includes searching for habitable
environments in our Solar System, and planets outside of it,
evidence of prebiotic chemistry and life on Mars, laboratory and
field research into the origins and early evolution of life on
Earth, and studies of the potential for life to adapt to challenges
on Earth and in space NASA has a program that was founded in
1996,but previously had studies in exobiology Exobiology: The
branch of science that deals with the possibility and likely nature
of life on other planets or in space
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Life: that which distinguishes animals and plants from
inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction,
functional activity, and continual change preceding death Alien
life- does NOT mean humanoid There are several conditions that make
a planet habitable: Temperature Water Atmosphere Energy Nutrients
These signs are critical when distinguishing the likelihood of
alien life
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Factors that Make for a habitable Planet Reasons TemperatureLow
temperatures cause chemicals to react slowly, interfering with
necessary reactions Low temperatures freeze water, making liquid
water unavailable. WaterChemicals a cell needs would be unable to
dissolve or transport to the cell AtmosphereInsufficient gravity
would be unable to hold an atmosphere, leaving the planet or moon
without EnergyA lack of sunlight or too few of necessary chemicals
that provide energy to cells, will cause organisms to die
NutrientsWithout chemicals to make proteins & carbohydrates,
organisms cannot grow.
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Habitable zone: the distance/range of distances from a star
from which an orbiting planet can have liquid water on its surface.
These distances may vary depending on the extent of the stars size,
mass and luminosity. Our Solar Systems Habitable Zone
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Probability of sentient life
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Frank Drake of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)
in Green Bank, West Virginia undertakes the first attempt to find
extraterrestrial civilizations in 1960 Project Ozma had him
listening for radio signals of intelligent life, for a period of 6
hours a day for four months,using the NRAO radio
telescope-unsuccessfully Within a year Green Bank hosts a meeting
to explore the issue of extraterrestrial intelligence Frank Drake
is meant to come up with an agenda for the meeting-and thus devises
the Drake Equation.
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This equation is used to give the probability of intelligent
life forms within the universe. Drakes Equation
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Letter Meanings N = The number of broadcasting civilizations. R
= Average rate of formation of suitable stars (stars/year) in the
Milky Way galaxy fp = Fraction of stars that form planets ne =
Average number of habitable planets per star fl = Fraction of
habitable planets (ne) where life emerges fi = Fraction of
habitable planets with life where intelligent evolves fc = Fraction
of planets with intelligent life capable of interstellar
communication L = Years a civilization remains detectable
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Weve got a good track recordright?
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Microbes in Arctic ice sheets have been helping researchers
pinpoint evidence for similar microorganisms that could have
evolved on Mars, the Jovian moon Europa, or Saturns moon Enceladus
With support from the NASA ASTEP program, a team of scientists
recently investigated the western edge of the Greenland ice sheet
in order to study the release of methane as the ice sheet recedes
Careful isotopic analysis are helping them determine if the methane
comes directly or indirectly from methanogenic microbes
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European countries have also combined scientific and financial
resources to form the 18-nation European Space Agency (ESA), which
has some collaborative initiatives with NASA focused on
astrobiology In 2016, they expect to launch the NASA/ESA
ExoMars/Trace Gas Orbiter (EMTGO) mission, part of the ExoMars
Rover Project. The objective is to characterize the chemical
composition of the Martian atmosphere, particularly trace species
Scientists are developing newer, better technology for research
that involves cheap, compact, rugged instruments that can survive
and function in unearth- like environments,along with utilizing
solar energy The next generation of Mars rovers will likely use
mass spectrometers to search for signs of life Scientists at the
U.S. Department of Energys Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
developed total ion control (TIC), the method makes it easier to
direct ions along specified paths. Current systems require airflow
maintained by heavy, energy-gobbling pumps.
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Researchers at Harvard and MIT have initiated a project to
study whether life on Earth might have descended from Martian
organisms carried here by flying objects like meteors, called
Search for Extraterrestrial Genomes (SETG) As an example of the
adaptability of microbial organisms, the team pointed to the
discovery of the first known organism that can thrive and reproduce
using arsenic instead of phosphorus in its cells. December 2011, a
NASA team isolated the bacteria from Mono Lake, CA, chosen because
of its high salinity, alkalinity, and arsenic levels. The NASA
investigators said their data showed evidence for arsenate in
macromolecules that normally contain phosphate, most notably
nucleic acids and proteins.
Ford, Steve. "What Is The Drake Equation?" What Is The Drake
Equation? SETI League. Web. 30 May 2012.
http://www.setileague.org/general/drake.htmhttp://www.setileague.org/general/drake.htm
Habitable Zones Planets in the Solar System. Planet Facts. Web. 31
May 2012.