Post by auntym on Nov 22, 2011 18:40:17 GMT -6
lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/22/behind-the-scenes-of-the-search-for-life/?hpt=hp_t3
Behind the scenes of the 'search for life'[/color] VIDEO
Post by: CNN's John Zarrella
John Zarrella’s series "Search for Life" premieres this week on CNN.[/color]
The Kepler telescope finds a planet circling two suns, right out of "Star Wars." Data from the Galileo mission suggest that a body of liquid water the size of the Great Lakes is on Jupiter’s moon Europa. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter finds sand dunes rippling across the planet’s surface.
Every day, NASA pours out press releases with fascinating, sometimes groundbreaking revelations. The problem is, much of it flies under the radar, getting absorbed, minimalized and shoved aside in the noise of events around the world. Unless you are addicted to Light Years (and I hope you are), you could easily miss this wonderful dessert NASA keeps serving up, a heavenly hash of sorts.
As I watched all of this "stuff" pouring into my e-mail, it seemed to me that there was a series of stories that needed telling. The common thread is just how wondrous the universe is and how, when you consider all that’s out there, it’s hard for me to imagine we’re all alone.
It just so happened there was a very nice peg for a series: This week, NASA is planning to launch the most sophisticated rover it has ever sent to Mars. The rover named Curiosity is capable of detecting organic material required for life as we know it. For the first time, NASA is going to Mars with its primary focus on finding evidence of life.
“This mission is a key step in answering the eventual question whether life ever existed on Mars," NASA Deputy Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada said.
Vasavada says that finding organic material is a long shot, but Curiosity is going to the place scientists believe gives them the best chance to find it. It’s called Gale Crater. Scientists think that if water ever flowed on Mars, it might have pooled up in this crater. And where there’s water, there could be life.
Given that NASA is about to embark on this incredible high-risk, high-reward mission, I thought it would be just plain fun to take a look at how the “search for life” is going.
CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO & CONTINUE READING: lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/22/behind-the-scenes-of-the-search-for-life/?hpt=hp_t3
Behind the scenes of the 'search for life'[/color] VIDEO
Post by: CNN's John Zarrella
John Zarrella’s series "Search for Life" premieres this week on CNN.[/color]
The Kepler telescope finds a planet circling two suns, right out of "Star Wars." Data from the Galileo mission suggest that a body of liquid water the size of the Great Lakes is on Jupiter’s moon Europa. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter finds sand dunes rippling across the planet’s surface.
Every day, NASA pours out press releases with fascinating, sometimes groundbreaking revelations. The problem is, much of it flies under the radar, getting absorbed, minimalized and shoved aside in the noise of events around the world. Unless you are addicted to Light Years (and I hope you are), you could easily miss this wonderful dessert NASA keeps serving up, a heavenly hash of sorts.
As I watched all of this "stuff" pouring into my e-mail, it seemed to me that there was a series of stories that needed telling. The common thread is just how wondrous the universe is and how, when you consider all that’s out there, it’s hard for me to imagine we’re all alone.
It just so happened there was a very nice peg for a series: This week, NASA is planning to launch the most sophisticated rover it has ever sent to Mars. The rover named Curiosity is capable of detecting organic material required for life as we know it. For the first time, NASA is going to Mars with its primary focus on finding evidence of life.
“This mission is a key step in answering the eventual question whether life ever existed on Mars," NASA Deputy Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada said.
Vasavada says that finding organic material is a long shot, but Curiosity is going to the place scientists believe gives them the best chance to find it. It’s called Gale Crater. Scientists think that if water ever flowed on Mars, it might have pooled up in this crater. And where there’s water, there could be life.
Given that NASA is about to embark on this incredible high-risk, high-reward mission, I thought it would be just plain fun to take a look at how the “search for life” is going.
CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO & CONTINUE READING: lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/22/behind-the-scenes-of-the-search-for-life/?hpt=hp_t3