NASA: We'll find alien life in 10 to 20 years

[PredFan]

NASA should be ashamed of themselves. They are scientists for fucks sake. Quit trying to be rock stars.

They know full well that the life they are referring to is going to be simple extremophiles and single called plant like life. They choose to call it "Alien Life" knowing full well how the low-information public will take that.

Stick to the science.

How the fuck do you know that it will only be single celled life? The public and nasa should be excited as we've found nearly a dozen habitual planets that could turn out to be good choices for discovering this life. I hope the public is excited...You probably hope they aren't so you can get your way and end all funding for science.

I know just the same as NASA knows. And I'm FOR spending money on science. Do you ever get tired of failing?

 

[orogenicman]

NASA should be ashamed of themselves. They are scientists for fucks sake. Quit trying to be rock stars.

They know full well that the life they are referring to is going to be simple extremophiles and single called plant like life. They choose to call it "Alien Life" knowing full well how the low-information public will take that.

Stick to the science.

How the fuck do you know that it will only be single celled life? The public and nasa should be excited as we've found nearly a dozen habitual planets that could turn out to be good choices for discovering this life. I hope the public is excited...You probably hope they aren't so you can get your way and end all funding for science.

I would like to stick a qualifier in there. It should read "potential" habitable planets. Moreover, nearly all of these planets are unreachable, not only for the foreseeable future, but it is likely we will never reach them, ever. Don't mean to be a downer here, but I believe that is the only reasonable position to take, given the laws of physics as we understand them. Could we detect life remotely? I think that is not only possible, but very likely. But we have a lot of work to do before that ever becomes a reality.

 

[ScienceRocks]

NASA should be ashamed of themselves. They are scientists for fucks sake. Quit trying to be rock stars.

They know full well that the life they are referring to is going to be simple extremophiles and single called plant like life. They choose to call it "Alien Life" knowing full well how the low-information public will take that.

Stick to the science.

How the fuck do you know that it will only be single celled life? The public and nasa should be excited as we've found nearly a dozen habitual planets that could turn out to be good choices for discovering this life. I hope the public is excited...You probably hope they aren't so you can get your way and end all funding for science.

I would like to stick a qualifier in there. It should read "potential" habitable planets. Moreover, nearly all of these planets are unreachable, not only for the foreseeable future, but it is likely we will never reach them, ever. Don't mean to be a downer here, but I believe that is the only reasonable position to take, given the laws of physics as we understand them. Could we detect life remotely? I think that is not only possible, but very likely. But we have a lot of work to do before that ever becomes a reality.

I'd like to think anything is possible with enough research, time and investment.

 

[orogenicman]

NASA should be ashamed of themselves. They are scientists for fucks sake. Quit trying to be rock stars.

They know full well that the life they are referring to is going to be simple extremophiles and single called plant like life. They choose to call it "Alien Life" knowing full well how the low-information public will take that.

Stick to the science.

In this case, alien life is referring to any life not originating on Earth. So whether it is a microbe, Gozilla's mother-in-law, or Paul the atheist ET, it is still alien life.

Of course that's true but NASA knows what people will think when they hear that. It just irritates me that they stoop to a stunt.

What stunt, where?

Jesus!

Read it again please.

Naw. With that attitude, I think I'll just ignore your posts.

Cheers,

 

[orogenicman]

I subscribe to the Rare Earth Hypothesis. Basically it says that although simple non-sentient life may well be abundant in the universe, complex organisms, tool users, are so rare as to be near non-existant outside of our planet. That isn't even talking about anyone or anything at our level of intelligence.

In that respect, we are alone.

I doubt that is true. Certainly you can't prove it mathematically. And if the paradigm that the laws of physics work the same everywhere in the universe (with the possible exceptions of inside of black holes), there is no reason to assume that intelligent, tool using life doesn't exist elsewhere in the universe. On our planet alone, there are more than a few diverse species that have been shown not only to use tools, but to make them and use them in complex decision-making scenarios. For instance:



If a crow can exhibit complex tool-making behavior, there is no reason to suppose alien life cannot do the same and much more.

 

[ScienceRocks]

I wish to discover if the rare "earth full of life" or not is true.

 

[G.T.]

I would literally bet my life that there are at LEAST 100 (if not a million more) intelligent lifeforms in the Universe.

Rare Earth hypothesis doesnt hold weight, in that you cant consider earth rare when were only able to observe such a miniminiminiscule fractile of a percent of the entire Universe. It makes no sense whatsoever to subscribe to it, in terms of probability and also in terms of how much we've yet to study.

 

[ScienceRocks]

I would literally bet my life that there are at LEAST 100 (if not a million more) intelligent lifeforms in the Universe.

Rare Earth hypothesis doesnt hold weight, in that you cant consider earth rare when were only able to observe such a miniminiminiscule fractile of a percent of the entire Universe. It makes no sense whatsoever to subscribe to it, in terms of probability and also in terms of how much we've yet to study.

We've found around 250 worlds that are .5 to 1.5 radi of earth.

Around 10 of these have at least the right temperature for water and probably oceans on the surface that are confirmed. We also have another near doubling of that worth of candidates.

Kepler alone has 20 .8 on the esl for Canidates in the line up.
List of Potentially Habitable Exoplanets Kepler Candidates - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

This is probably because trasits are rare only about 15-20% at most of these worlds within the view of kepler. Kepler because it looks for trasits is highly bias for close in planets of under 60-80 days. This is why so many of them are really hot...When looking for worlds at over 100-200 days it was just starting to do that when it want out of service.

 

[orogenicman]

We must remember that current exoplanet searches are limited, either by design or by funding. NASA's premier tool for such searches, Kepler, was, until it's precision pointing capability became crippled, staring as just one very small spot in the sky, and it is in this small region where most of the discoveries have been found. A new survey is in the works. TESS, or Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite should be capable of significantly expanding the current search. While Kepler was able to monitor some 100,000 stars, TESS with be able to monitor over 500,000 stars. And unlike Kepler, TESS will be the first orbiting an all sky exoplanet search.

Here is what it will do:

TESS Overview

TESS will tile the sky with 26 observation sectors:

• At least 27 days staring at each 24° × 96° sector
• Brightest 100,000 stars at 1-minute cadence
• Full frame images with 30-minute cadence
• Map Northern hemisphere in first year
• Map Southern hemisphere in second year
• Sectors overlap at ecliptic poles for sensitivity to smaller and longer period planets in JWST Continuous Viewing Zone (CVZ)

TESS observes from unique High Earth Orbit (HEO):

• Unobstructed view for continuous light curves
• Two 13.7 day orbits per observation sector
• Stable 2:1 resonance with Moon's orbit
• Thermally stable and low-radiation

 

[orogenicman]

What is really cool about TESS was that it was initially a private sector effort that picked up steam when NASA jumped aboard and began to support it. The mission was approved last year and is scheduled to fly on a Falcon 9 rocket in 2018, which means that from approval to launch is just four years. That's pretty cool, IMHO.

 

[Mac1958]

Mars does have water at present, and had large amounts of it in liquid form in the geological past.

All we need to do to ascertain the presence of life on an alien planet is show the presence of free oxygen in the atmosphere of that planet. Has to be life there to maintain the oxygen in the atmosphere. And the capability to do that is within out reach at present.

I have no doubt whatsoever that due to its geothermal gradient and overburden pressure, Mars has liquid water at depth (aka ground water). Nearly all groundwater on Earth contains life of some form or other.

The life they're betting on is microscopic. My money's on Europa's oceans.

Yeah, same here, also I understand Ganymede may have potential. Who knows, maybe some kind of aquatic creature.

I wonder what percentage of people assume "life" means "little green men".

.

I wonder why some assume life must be carbon based, and need water and oxygen.

That's all we know so far, the universe appears to follow certain rules.

But I agree, we're just getting started. We don't even know if we'd recognize life when we saw it.

DAMN cool.

.

 

[orogenicman]

Mars does have water at present, and had large amounts of it in liquid form in the geological past.

All we need to do to ascertain the presence of life on an alien planet is show the presence of free oxygen in the atmosphere of that planet. Has to be life there to maintain the oxygen in the atmosphere. And the capability to do that is within out reach at present.

I have no doubt whatsoever that due to its geothermal gradient and overburden pressure, Mars has liquid water at depth (aka ground water). Nearly all groundwater on Earth contains life of some form or other.

The life they're betting on is microscopic. My money's on Europa's oceans.

Yeah, same here, also I understand Ganymede may have potential. Who knows, maybe some kind of aquatic creature.

I wonder what percentage of people assume "life" means "little green men".

.

I wonder why some assume life must be carbon based, and need water and oxygen.

That's all we know so far, the universe appears to follow certain rules.

But I agree, we're just getting started. We don't even know if we'd recognize life when we saw it.

DAMN cool.

.

You have to look at why life on Earth is carbon-based to begin with. Carbon has multiple bonds, and can bond with a lot of reactive elements like nitrogen, sulfur, hydrogen, phosphorus, and oxygen, and so is very handy if you need an readily available architecture for constructing living things. It does this very easily, and so is the element of "choice" in the natural world.

 

[ScienceRocks]

We must remember that current exoplanet searches are limited, either by design or by funding. NASA's premier tool for such searches, Kepler, was, until it's precision pointing capability became crippled, staring as just one very small spot in the sky, and it is in this small region where most of the discoveries have been found. A new survey is in the works. TESS, or Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite should be capable of significantly expanding the current search. While Kepler was able to monitor some 100,000 stars, TESS with be able to monitor over 500,000 stars. And unlike Kepler, TESS will be the first orbiting an all sky exoplanet search.

Here is what it will do:

TESS Overview

TESS will tile the sky with 26 observation sectors:

• At least 27 days staring at each 24° × 96° sector
• Brightest 100,000 stars at 1-minute cadence
• Full frame images with 30-minute cadence
• Map Northern hemisphere in first year
• Map Southern hemisphere in second year
• Sectors overlap at ecliptic poles for sensitivity to smaller and longer period planets in JWST Continuous Viewing Zone (CVZ)

TESS observes from unique High Earth Orbit (HEO):

• Unobstructed view for continuous light curves
• Two 13.7 day orbits per observation sector
• Stable 2:1 resonance with Moon's orbit
• Thermally stable and low-radiation

I wish they could launch it sooner! I can hardly wait to look over that data.

 

[orogenicman]

We must remember that current exoplanet searches are limited, either by design or by funding. NASA's premier tool for such searches, Kepler, was, until it's precision pointing capability became crippled, staring as just one very small spot in the sky, and it is in this small region where most of the discoveries have been found. A new survey is in the works. TESS, or Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite should be capable of significantly expanding the current search. While Kepler was able to monitor some 100,000 stars, TESS with be able to monitor over 500,000 stars. And unlike Kepler, TESS will be the first orbiting an all sky exoplanet search.

Here is what it will do:

TESS Overview

TESS will tile the sky with 26 observation sectors:

• At least 27 days staring at each 24° × 96° sector
• Brightest 100,000 stars at 1-minute cadence
• Full frame images with 30-minute cadence
• Map Northern hemisphere in first year
• Map Southern hemisphere in second year
• Sectors overlap at ecliptic poles for sensitivity to smaller and longer period planets in JWST Continuous Viewing Zone (CVZ)

TESS observes from unique High Earth Orbit (HEO):

• Unobstructed view for continuous light curves
• Two 13.7 day orbits per observation sector
• Stable 2:1 resonance with Moon's orbit
• Thermally stable and low-radiation

I wish they could launch it sooner! I can hardly wait to look over that data.

Well, yeah, but four years is a pretty quick turnaround for NASA, or anyone else, IMHO.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

What extrasolar planet is most likely to be favorable for life US Message Board - Political Discussion Forum
All 5 of these planets are confirmed and could have life on them. I think it is time to increase nasa's budget in order for us to find out the truth. Learning and exploring 99.9999999999% of everything outside of our little planet is worth doing. Blowing away a couple of trillion on stupid wars like Iraq that turn to shit makes less sense.

Exactly where would we be if it was up to the effin private sector? They wouldn't of spent shit on discovering the 2,000 extrasolar planets we know about. They wouldn't of spent shit on learning and exploring our universe...Nasa is the group of people we put in charge of finding out about that 99.999%! I think they do a damn good job on the tiny amount they get....Hell, more is wasted because of the constant canceling you bastards make them do.

NASA is the most deceitful and full of shit organization on the planet and you want to put them in charge of this????

Who else? The Chinese, the Europeans or India??? You're full of yourself as nasa is the ones that made this all possible. We wouldn't know 1/10th of what we currently do if it wasn't for nasa. Say what you want but their opinions of global warming but they have earned our respect for their advancements outside of earth.

The dumb ass private sector isn't going to advance science unless they can make a huge gain in dollars on it. Maybe asteroid minning in the future and very low earth orbit today.

Trust me, thanks to NASA you don't know dick

 

[ScienceRocks]

What extrasolar planet is most likely to be favorable for life US Message Board - Political Discussion Forum
All 5 of these planets are confirmed and could have life on them. I think it is time to increase nasa's budget in order for us to find out the truth. Learning and exploring 99.9999999999% of everything outside of our little planet is worth doing. Blowing away a couple of trillion on stupid wars like Iraq that turn to shit makes less sense.

Exactly where would we be if it was up to the effin private sector? They wouldn't of spent shit on discovering the 2,000 extrasolar planets we know about. They wouldn't of spent shit on learning and exploring our universe...Nasa is the group of people we put in charge of finding out about that 99.999%! I think they do a damn good job on the tiny amount they get....Hell, more is wasted because of the constant canceling you bastards make them do.

NASA is the most deceitful and full of shit organization on the planet and you want to put them in charge of this????

Who else? The Chinese, the Europeans or India??? You're full of yourself as nasa is the ones that made this all possible. We wouldn't know 1/10th of what we currently do if it wasn't for nasa. Say what you want but their opinions of global warming but they have earned our respect for their advancements outside of earth.

The dumb ass private sector isn't going to advance science unless they can make a huge gain in dollars on it. Maybe asteroid minning in the future and very low earth orbit today.

Trust me, thanks to NASA you don't know dick

I know more then you'll ever know goat herder.

 

[Freewill]

The odds that brought life to Earth are fantastically large against.

They could find life on the Moon and maybe Mars, we left it there.

One has to ask, why is Earth covered with water and Mars is not. Where did the water come from?

Comets

Comets didn't hit the Moon, or Mars? How many comets would have to hit the Earth for that much water?

 

[ScienceRocks]

The odds that brought life to Earth are fantastically large against.

They could find life on the Moon and maybe Mars, we left it there.

One has to ask, why is Earth covered with water and Mars is not. Where did the water come from?

Comets

Comets didn't hit the Moon, or Mars? How many comets would have to hit the Earth for that much water?

Know any physics? Both the moon and mars without a magnetic field lack the the gravity to keep h2o from reaching escape velocity with the solar winds.

Also did you read my space exploration thread? I posted last night that mars also was discovered to have glacier's at the mid lats of 30 to 50 north both north & south. These glacier's are big enough to cover the whole planet with a meter of fresh water ice if it was spreaded out evenly.

 

[JWBooth]

.

Make it five, make it THREE!

Keep going, folks, here's hoping.

NASA We apos ll find alien life in 10 to 20 years - LA Times

.

Any story to keep the money flowing

You're anti-science and anti-everything. Please grow the fuck up. What is so inaccurate with what nasa said? We have found close to a dozen confirmed/unconfirmed planets that maybe the right size and right temperature.

Please stop driving on our roads you fucking loser and think about joining the modern world. I hate amish people. Fucking bunch of animal herders.

Go piss up a rope.

Branson, Simony, Musk, Bezos, that is the future of science and space flight, not your statist wonderland funded by thieving from the masses.

 

[ScienceRocks]

.

Make it five, make it THREE!

Keep going, folks, here's hoping.

NASA We apos ll find alien life in 10 to 20 years - LA Times

.

Any story to keep the money flowing

You're anti-science and anti-everything. Please grow the fuck up. What is so inaccurate with what nasa said? We have found close to a dozen confirmed/unconfirmed planets that maybe the right size and right temperature.

Please stop driving on our roads you fucking loser and think about joining the modern world. I hate amish people. Fucking bunch of animal herders.

Go piss up a rope.

Branson, Simony, Musk, Bezos, that is the future of science and space flight, not your statist wonderland funded by thieving from the masses.

Maybe low orbit and maybe one day asteroid mining. Not science and certainly not learning about the planets outside of our solar system.

You don't like it that everything isn't owned by a corporation and that the public sector has its place. Now you go piss up a rope and go herd your sheep.