Is Extra Terrestrial life possible??

By: Joshua Wildman

Remember:All life on Earth requires carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur and water. But this does not mean that life on

another planet, moon, comet, or some other place needs oxygen or water.

1. EnceladusThe sixth-largest moon of Saturn is our best hope for life thanks to its good temperature and the good chance of the presence of water. The surface of the icy moon is believed to be about 99 percent water ice, with a good chance of liquid water beneath. Observations from the Cassini probe’s 2005 flyby of Enceladus point toward the presence of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, organic molecules thought to be a must to develop life.

2. EuropaJupiter’s moon Europa also seems a possible place for E.T. life, due to its potential water and volcanic activity. Even

though the surface seems to be frozen, it is suspected that buried underneath is an ocean of liquid water. Volcanic

activity on this moon could provide life-supporting heat, as well as important chemicals needed by living organisms.

Microbial life could probably survive near hydrothermal vents on Europa, as it does on Earth in the deep oceans.

3. MarsThe best candidate for a planet with life is Mars. The Red Planet is the most Earth-like of solar system planets, with a similar size

and temperature range as our own planet. Large parts of the poles or Mars are covered by water ice, and there’s a good

chance of liquid water beneath the surface. The small atmosphere on the planet is not strong enough to block the planet against deadly solar radiation, though microbes could

possibly live beneath the surface.

4. TitanSaturn’s largest moon looks like it might have once had

life, because its thick atmosphere has a lot of compounds that often have the existence of living organisms. For

instance, Titan’s air is filled with methane, which is usually destroyed by sunlight. On Earth, life constantly produces methane, so it might similarly be responsible for the methane on Titan. Titan is pretty cold though.

5. Io Jupiter’s moon, Io is one of the few solar system moons to

have an atmosphere, and it contains chemicals that make it a likely place for life. Volcanism on the moon also makes it warmer than many others, another good sign. Io is still a long stretch, though, because its location inside Jupiter’s magnetic field means it is constantly being attacked by

lethal radiation.

I believe that there is a possibility of the existence of Extra Terrestrials. I think this because there are

hundreds of billions of galaxies out there, and trillions of stars in each one, and one of the stars could have a

satellite that supports life. It may or may not have intelligent life, but it doesn’t matter, its either there is

life, or no life at all. Any life of some sort out there would be good for NASA and other various

organizations.

Science, W. (2009). Top 5 Bets for Extraterrestrial Life in the Solar

System . Retrieved January 12, 20011, from Wired Science:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/01/et-life