On Tuesday, scientists and experts gathered at NASA headquarters in Washington DC to discuss recent studies on the distribution of water and organic matter in our Solar System.
Talks included how the Sun affects the habitableness of the celestial bodies in orbit, as well as attempts to find extraterrestrial life either on the neighboring planets of our Solar System or other distant stars.
The debate, held in the Webb Auditorium, was hosted by TV of NASA. In case you want to watch it, you can see it from the video below.
During a discussion in Washington DC yesterday, NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan said, "With the scientific and technological advances that have been made in recent years, we could find definitive evidence of extraterrestrial life in the next 10 years."
"I think we will have strong evidence of life beyond Earth in a decade, and I think we will have definitive evidence in 20 to 30 years," Ellen said.
"We know where to look. We know how to look. In most cases we have it technology, and we are on a course for its implementation. So I think we are on the right track", explained the scientist.
Ellen Stofan said that finding alien life forms does not mean drinking tea and eating with them. It's not that kind of extraterrestrial life that she hopes to discover NASA.
What NASA expects to discover inside or outside our solar system in the years to come is alien microorganisms such as microbes.
Earth is the only celestial body we know to support life, and has a land-water ratio of 29% to 71%. However, according to scientists, it is not the only aquatic world in our Solar System.
In two φεγγάρια του Δία, Ευρώπη και Γανυμήδης, υπάρχουν σοβαρές υπόνοιες ότι κρύβουν υπόγειους ωκεανούς.
A moon of Jupiter also is known to have an 200 layer of ice in thickness. Some even claim that an ocean can be hidden under the ice.
The oceans beneath their surface seem to be hiding also by Titan and the Engelados, Saturn's moons, and the moon of Poseidon, Triton.
But what about life outside our solar system?
Το 2017, η NASA θα ξεκινήσει την αποστολή του TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), που στόχος του είναι να εντοπίσει πλανήτες σαν τη Γη στα αστέρια γύρω από το ηλιακό μας σύστημα.
Watch the video
