Important Innovations

Life in 100% Hydrogen Atmosphere Source:  NASA's Hubble Telescope Big Impact on Search for Life in Space Scientists at MIT have made a major discovery.   They've found that microorganisms - life - exists in an atmosphere of 100% hydrogen.  In fact, organisms found on Earth can survive in environments  previously considered inhospitable and composed of 100% hydrogen. Expanding the Search for ET The findings have a big impact on the search for life in space.  A significant number of exoplanets, or  orbiting stars, contain atmospheres with large amounts of hydrogen.  These exoplanets have been ignored in the search for alien life until now.  Award-winning astrophysicist MIT Professor Sara Seager, who led the study, is urging astronomers to expand the types of planets where they are searching for ET. Warm Planets Prof. Seager also discovered that worlds in space, even at a distance ten- ti...

ESA SAT To Explore Jupiter & Its Moons Source:  ESA JUICE'S Search for Signs of Alien Life The European Space Agency (ESA) is putting the final touches on a new spacecraft specifically designed to search for alien life.  The first place that it will search for extraterrestrial life is Jupiter and its Moons . The spacecraft is called JUICE or Jupiter  Icy Moons Explorer.  JUICE's purpose is to find alien life or determine if the planet and its Moons are capable of sustaining life. This is yet another example of how seriously global space agencies, are taking the search for life beyond Earth. NASA with its upcoming Mars probe is leading the exploration along with ESA. JUICE's Timeline Right now in Germany, JUICE is being outfitted with highly advanced communications systems, navigation sensors and onboard computers. Next stop is The Netherlands, where it will go through rigorous testing. JUICE's ...

Discovery Accelerates Question  of Life Beyond Earth Source:  NASA Illustration Planet Kepler-1649c Have astronomers found another Earth?  A team of  international astronomers have discovered a planet the same size as the Earth.  Like the Earth, the planet orbits its Sun Star. This exoplanet is called Kepler-1649c. Habitable The planet seems to have habitable regions.  It is  orbiting in its star's habitable zone.  That is a region around the star where a rocky planet could support water. Remarkable Discovery The scientists discovered the Earth-like planet while using reanalyzed data from NASA's Kepler space telescope. Kepler was retired in 2018.  Previous scans of the data with a computer algorithm misidentified the space object.  Astronomers taking a hard look recognized it to be a planet. Space Specifics The planet is 300 light years away from the Eart...