![]() He added, though, that’s just scratching the surface. And by scanning, there may be trace evidence of biological life in the form of cells.” ![]() “Certain types of chemical composition could tell us if there was life there. “The basic idea of this NASA-funded project is to obtain biological and elemental signatures, as well to detect surface morphology, to determine whether there was any life,” said engineering professor and principal investigator Mool Gupta, in whose laser lab a key portion of the technology will be created. The space program is also contemplating putting humans on Mars. Instead, the technology could be part of a future mission to the moon – and perhaps beyond. The space agency just awarded the two-year, $900,000 grant to the School of Engineering and Applied Science last week. It won’t be done in time for this first unmanned launch, of course. The new collaborative research will take the form of a roving, ground-level probe. slated to blast off soon to orbit the moon – its first trip there in 50 years – the University of Virginia and NASA’s Artemis space missions seek to answer big questions like these, while pushing the scope of what can be analyzed on alien soils. This announcement comes on the heels of a study released this month that said there could be more than 30 intelligent civilizations throughout our Milky Way galaxy alone.Was there ever life on the moon? What about on other planets? The grant totals nearly $287,000 and will last two years, with the option of being extended to a third year. “This way astronomers observing a distant exoplanet will know where and what to look for if they’re searching for technosignatures.” “Our job is to say, ‘this wavelength band is where you might see certain types of pollutants, this wavelength band is where you would see sunlight reflected off solar panels,” Frank said. ![]() The researchers will begin the project by looking at two possible technosignatures that might indicate technological activity on another planet: solar panels and pollutants, according to a statement from the University of Rochester. We are not alone, study says: There could be 'dozens' of intelligent civilizations in our galaxyĪ civilization, by nature, will need to find a way to produce energy, and, Frank said, “there are only so many forms of energy in the universe. We have thousands of exoplanets including planets in the habitable zone where life can form. ![]() "The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence has always faced the challenge of figuring out where to look," said Adam Frank, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester, and the primary recipient of the grant. "Which stars do you point your telescope at and look for signals? Overall, in the past 25 years, researchers have discovered more than 4,000 exoplanets, including some Earth-like planets that may have the potential to harbor life. The surge of results in exoplanetary research – including planets in habitable zones and the presence of atmospheric water vapor – over the past five years has revitalized the search for intelligent life.Įxoplanets are planets beyond our own solar system. Researchers believe that although life appears in many forms, the scientific principles remain the same, and the technosignatures on Earth will also be identifiable in some fashion outside the solar system, according to a statement from one of the grant recipients, the Center for Astrophysics, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. "Such signatures might include industrial pollution of atmospheres, city lights, photovoltaic cells (solar panels), megastructures or swarms of satellites." "Technosignatures relate to 'signatures' of advanced alien technologies similar to, or perhaps more sophisticated than, what we possess," said Avi Loeb, a professor of science at Harvard and one of the grant recipients. Specifically, the grant will provide funding for a project to search for signs of life via "technosignatures." Watch Video: Astronomers discover 'one-in-a-million' super-Earthįor the first time in more than three decades, research scientists have received grant money from NASA to search for intelligent life in outer space.
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