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HOW DO WE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE?

HOW DO WE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE?. The Search for Life. Robotic Emissaries. Remote Detection. Robotic Emissaries. Pioneer 10 & 11 (1972/3) Voyager 1 & 2 (1977). Traveling 23,000 – 39,000 mi/hr Essentially no onboard guidance system

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HOW DO WE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE?

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  1. HOW DO WE SEARCH FORLIFE IN THE UNIVERSE?

  2. The Search for Life • Robotic Emissaries • Remote Detection

  3. Robotic Emissaries • Pioneer 10 & 11 (1972/3) • Voyager 1 & 2 (1977) • Traveling 23,000 – 39,000 mi/hr • Essentially no onboard guidance system • Random encounter with a stellar system in 1019 years

  4. The Search for Life on Mars

  5. Giovanni Schiaparelli (1877)

  6. Percival Lowell (1894 – 1916)

  7. The “Face” on Mars

  8. Martian Meteorites • Crystals of iron pyrite • Nodules of carbonate • PAH’s (organic material) • Fossil bacteria?

  9. Life on Mars? • History of water • History of thicker atmosphere • Probable Earth-like geologic history

  10. Viking I & II(1976)

  11. Viking Biology Experiments • No organic compounds found in soil • Atmosphere: very small amounts of methane and nitrogen • Biological experiments based on Earth-like life (is this realistic?) • Three biological experiments performed on Martian soil

  12. Viking Biology Experiments GEX: Gas Exchange – “feed” the soil • Gas chromatograph measured composition of gasses in chamber before/after feeding LR: Labeled Release – look for respiration • Look for radioactive carbon in gaseous form. PR: Pyrolitic Release – “Roast” the soil • look for radioactive carbon in atmosphere.

  13. Viking Biological ExperimentsResults: • All 3 gave positive results! • BUT! All positive results can be produced by non-biological chemical reactions.

  14. Pathfinder(1997)

  15. Europa OceanExplorer (2008?) • Arrive 2012

  16. The Search for Life:Remote Detection If it existed we currently couldn’t detect it Why? • We can detect the presence of extrasolar planets • We cannot image the planets themselves • Light from host star is too overwhelming

  17. What technology is necessary? • Interferometry for high resolution • Space based or ground based • Nulling technology to reduce glare of host star

  18. Nulling Technology

  19. What Do We Look For? • Image extrasolar planets (if not planets maybe their moons) • Look for chemical signatures for life • Make detailed images of extrasolar planets

  20. Planetary Imaging Interferometric Projects (ground based): • Palomar Testbed Interferometer • Keck Interferometric Array • CHARA (Mt. Wilson) • Others…

  21. Space Interferometry Mission(SIM, NASA) • Lower mass limit of 5 earth masses detection out to 10 parsecs (33 LY) • Lower mass limit of 1 earth mass detection out to 16 LY

  22. Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF, NASA) Detection of 1 earth-mass planets out to a distance of 50 light years

  23. DARWIN (ESA)

  24. Planetary Imager (PI, NASA) • 6000 km baseline • 8-m telescopes

  25. Last Week: • Chapter 16: 401 – 409 • Questions: 5, 6, 7 This Week: • Chapter 14: 335 – 357 • Questions: 1-7, 11

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