If intelligent aliens exist, then they probably already know about us. So says former astronaut John Grunsfeld, who said that extraterrestrial beings can observe us from afar, focusing on climate changes that occur on Earth through human fault.
“We leave footprints in the atmosphere that guarantee our detection 20 light years from Earth. If there is life out there, intelligent life forms, then they know about us, - said John Gransfeld at the astrobiology conference in Chicago.
Everyone is concerned about the question - are we alone in the Universe? NASA scientists recently announced that humanity will be able to find evidence of extraterrestrial life in 20-30 years.
“We know where to look, we know how to look and we have the technology. We are not talking about little green men, but about tiny microbes, - said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist of NASA.
“The question is when will this happen,” added her colleague, heliophysicist Jeffery Newmark.
A recent study of the Martian atmosphere showed that half of the planet's northern hemisphere was once occupied by oceans more than 1.5 kilometers deep. It was also found that water on Mars lasted for about 1.2 billion years. According to scientists, this is enough for the evolution of life.
Scientists recently uncovered evidence that Jupiter's moon Ganymede has a salty ocean between two layers of ice. Europa (another moon of Jupiter) and Enceladus (a moon of Saturn) also discovered a subsurface ocean of liquid water in contact with mineral rocks. According to NASA, there may be all the components necessary for the development of life in the form we are accustomed to.
Promotional video:
Interestingly, at the same conference last year, NASA chief Charles Bolden made a more conservative estimate, stating that extraterrestrial life will be found within the next 20 years, with a high probability that it will happen outside the solar system.
In 2020, NASA plans to send another research apparatus to the Red Planet to search for signs of a past life, and in 2030 - to land astronauts there, who will continue to search for traces of the Martians.
The agency also plans a mission to Europe, which could start as early as 2022. Scientists want to find out if this companion is suitable for life.
Meanwhile, the scientific world is waiting for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which will study distant Earth-like planets in detail. The observatory will start working in 2018.
