Before the invention of the telescope, before every continent was on a map, even before the revelation that Earth was not the center of the Universe, humans have wondered at the possibility of life beyond our planet. Now, scientists know there are 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone (one of 10 billion galaxies in the mere observable Universe), and 10-20 percent of these stars could have earth-size planets within the habitable zone. Science has arrived, for the first time in human history, at the crux that will push the world to expand from the question, “is there extraterrestrial life” to the question of “how can we find it?”
NASA, spearheading Earth’s pursuit of distant life, hosted an open panel discussion at its Washington headquarters on Monday with leading scientists to put the physics into the philosophical. The topic of alien life is not merely for the lovers and dreamers of science fiction. Space missions, specialized telescopes, and unprecedented technological advances are underway at NASA to find signs of life, and eventually, extraterrestrials themselves.
“Do we believe there is life beyond Earth?” asked former astronaut and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. ”I would venture to say that most of my colleagues here today say it is improbable that in the limitless vastness of the Universe we humans stand alone.”
Duuuuhhh...To read more, click here.