On comet 67P (Churyumova-Gerasimenko), microbes of alien origin may be abundant, British astronomers say. It is the presence of living organisms under the ice that explains the characteristic features of the comet - for example, the black crust rich in organic compounds.
However, neither the Rosetta orbiter nor the Philae probe were equipped with instruments to look for traces of life. Scientists will present their hypothesis at the conference of the Royal Astronomical Society, which will be held on July 6 in Llandudno, and the Independent reports briefly about it.
Max Wallis of Cardiff University and Chandra Wickramasinghe, director of the Buckingham Center for Astrobiology, argue that the comet's environment is even more conducive to life than Earth's polar regions. Only the presence of microorganisms explains such anomalous phenomena on the comet's surface as dark crust, ice, flat-bottomed craters and an abundance of giant boulders.
All these properties indicate that there is an environment on the comet of a mixture of ice and organic matter, which is heated by the rays of the Sun, and it is there that microorganisms can live.
Astronomers have built a model of the processes taking place on the comet's surface. According to this model, living beings need liquid water to colonize a celestial body, and they can hide in ice cracks. These organisms must necessarily contain antifreeze salts that allow them to survive at temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius. It is up to it that part of the comet's surface is now heating the Sun.
In addition, gas and dust jets erupt from many cracks in the ice onto the surface of the comet. "In my opinion, the activity of microbes living under the ice is to blame for this - because of it, the gas pressure becomes so strong that the layers of ice do not withstand and crack," said Professor Wickramasingh.
Finally, the abundance of organic molecules on its surface, organized in a more complex way than simple hydrocarbons (like methane), speaks of the possible existence of life on the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet. This is evidenced by the pictures taken by the Rosetta's infrared camera.
The Rosetta mission is coordinated by ESA with contributions from its member states as well as NASA. The data obtained with its help are necessary to explain the evolutionary processes of the solar system and the appearance of water on Earth. The mission includes an orbiter and a reentry probe. The Philae probe landed on the surface of comet 67P (Churyumova-Gerasimenko) on November 12, 2014. This was the first soft landing of a body from Earth on a comet's nucleus.
Promotional video:
The peak of research will be on August 13, 2015, when the comet approaches the Sun at a minimum distance, and the outflow of matter from its surface will occur with maximum speed. On June 23, 2015 ESA announced the extension of the Rosetta mission until September 2016. It is planned that the orbital ship will descend to the surface of the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko