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EXISTENCE OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE1

Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions

Quest of Finding Extraterrestrial Life in This Universe

Eishaan Gakhar

04-03-2010Dr. JalalahStudy Skills

Second Semester Final Draft




Table of Contents

Table of Contents«««««««««««««««««««««««««..02

Acknowledgements«««««««««««««««««««««««««03

Abstract««««««««««««««««««««««««.«...«.««.04

1. Introduction

2. Definition and various Hypotheses based on ET by various people ««.«..05

2.1. Aliens/ET ± Life which does not originate from Earth.

2.2. Experiments on Marsto find ET along with Messenger spacecraft

3. Ancient and early modern beliefs of people about the ET existence«..««09

3.1. Cosmology was often associated with ET in the past.

3.2. Beliefs about ET by the Talmud and the Qur¶an.

4. Types of searches conducted by scientists on ET «««««.««««««10

4.1.1. Direct and Indirect Searches to find ET

4.1.2. UFO observations

5. Conclusion about the research paper««««««««««««««««13

5.1. Possibility of existence of Extraterrestrial life forms in the Universe.

5.2. Reason for why there is no proof until now about the existence of ET ± Universe is a

huge place, thus making it difficult for us to find ET and for ET to find us .

6. References«««««««««««««««««««««««««««14




Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr . Jalalah for their direction, assistance, and guidance. In particular,

his recommendations and suggestions have helped me a lot. Special thanks should also be

given to my student colleagues who helped me in many ways, such as revising my paper with

me and correcting the layout of the paper . Some of those colleagues are Ammar, Cameron,

Alanna, and Clinton.




Abstract

An article on Extraterrestrial life (ET) in the newspaper created a stir in my mind. I was

interested in learning more about this life form. Imagine an unknown creature living near

you. At present, of course this is only a myth. No one in this universe has an evidence of

whether ET exists. Astronomers now study the samples of various samples brought by

satellites.

An US commander of space shuttle ³Discovery´ believes that life exists somewhere in outer

space. He states, ³From my experience, it is difficult to travel through space, and for this

reason I think aliens have not visited earth´ (Caglioti, Dec. 2006). His statement is easily

proven, as our solar system is still not completely studied and understood. I also strongly

believe that we are not alone in this vast universe.




1. Introduction

Existence of Other Life Forms in the Universe

Mrs. Denise Flanagan, an ex-Integrated Physics and Chemistry teacher of DeBakey

High School said, ³We can¶t be alone in the universe. Life could even be a single celled

organism.´ Another staff member of the school, Mr . Allan Groen comments, ³Universe is

infinite, infinite possibilities exist.´ This means that Extraterrestrial life (ET) could exist in

anywhere in the universe. This research paper will examine a few aspects of Extraterrestrial

life and the reasons for their existence. First of all, itwill examine what Extraterrestrial life is.

In addition it will give some hypotheses about the origin of Extraterrestrial life and examples

of places where Extraterrestrial life could exist. Finally, the paper will highlight some

ancient and early modern beliefs regardingpeople. There will also be some mentions ofthe

types of searches conducted by scientists on Extraterrestrial life, along with some detailed

explanation about UFOs.

Imagine an unknown creature living near you. At present, this is only a myth. No one

in this universe has evidence of whether extraterrestrial life exists. But, in the future this myth

would surely have an answer . William Borucki, Kepler mission¶s chief scientist said that, if

Earth-sized planets are common, Kepler (a mission launched by NASA to find ET) will

detect hundreds of them, including dozens in the habitable zone (Financial Times, 2009).

There was a very recent sighting of an unknown life form on the Doha corniche.

People said that, the figure disappeared when people tried to get near the life form (Gulf

Times, 2009). So, this shows us that other life forms may exist and may have unknown

powers.

2. Definition and Various Hypotheses based on ET

To start with, what is extraterrestrial life? It is a form of life which does not originate

from earth. Extraterrestrial life in daily life is known as an Alien. According to experts, life




arose naturally by the various processes entirely explainable by the laws of physics and

chemistry (Dick, 2000). According to various ideas by people, scientists have come to two

final hypotheses. The first hypothesis, states that extraterrestrial life may have emerged,

independently, from different places in the universe (Peter Douglas Ward, 2004). The second

hypothesis proposes that life emerges from one location, and then spreads between habitable

planets (Peter Douglas Ward, 2004). Scientists support a part of their second hypothesis by

proving that the samples brought from Mars contain compounds of water in them.

There is another hypothesis known as ³Rare Earth hypothesis´, which claims that

Earth-like life is rare in the universe, while microbial life is common (Peter Douglas Ward,

2004). This hypothesis is not accepted by scientists, as there is no evidence of other microbial

organisms. On the other hand, the first two hypotheses are in the process of being proved

with the launch of two new space telescopes, which may help scientists predict the beginning

of the universe. The Drake equation was formed by Dr . Frank Drake in 1960. This was an

attempt to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations near or in our galaxy (Tarter,

2001).

Places of Existence and Thoughts about ET

Planets such as Mars and Gliese 581c may contain ET. A US commander of space

shuttle ³Discovery´ believes life probably exists somewhere in outer space. He states, ³We

have seen some evidence that there is a possibility of some life on Mars in the past, so there is

probably life all over the universe. From my experience, it is difficult to travel through space,

and for this reason I think aliens have not visited earth´ (Caglioti, Dec. 2006). His crew

members also agree to his statement. There have been detailed studies about materials and

substances brought back from Mars. These studies show that there could have been some

possibility of life in the past, which could lead to life in the future.



EXISTENCE OF EXTR TERR ESTR IAL LIFE7

There woul be no li e on Ear th without the moon, because moons are responsi ble for

winds and tides which affect humans. Therefore, moons play a key factor in hel ping us to

know whether there could be any chances of Extraterrestr ials on the planets they revolve

around.

Gliese 581c. is a planet found by the Kepler mission launched by NASA. It is an

unconf irmed "Super-Ear th", which is a large extra-solar terrestr ial planet orbiting the red

dwarf star Gliese 581 (NASA, 2008). Gliese 581 c generated interest because it was initially

repor ted to be the f irst potentially Ear th-like planet in the habitable zone of its star, with a

temperature r ight for li uid water on its surface, and by extension, potentially capable of

suppor ting life forms of Ear th-like life.

³The universe is very big and scientists have not discovered all of it yet , says Mrs.

Rim Kabbara, a BCIS (Business Computers Information Systems) teacher at DeBakey High

School. The graph below shows the number of extrasolar planets discovered by var ious space

institutions from 1989 till February 2009. This graph shows the advancements made by

scientists to f ind ET in outer space.

The discovery of a giant alien wor ld circlinga distant star has led astronomers to

believe they have located a near twin to our solar system in a far-f lung corner of the galaxy.

T

¡

l ¢ £ S ¤ ¥ ¦ § ¢ :The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia by Schneider, J.

Table 1 Extrasolar Planet Discoveries




NASA scientists have confirmed the discovery in what is a hugely significant step towards

finding a second earth-like planet capable of harboring ET life(Sample, 2007). NASA held a

media teleconference last year to discuss new data findings revealed by the Mercury Surface,

Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft known as

MESSENGER (NASA, 2008).The spacecraft is the first mission designed to orbit the planet

closest to the sun.

The MESSENGER project is the seventh in NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost,

scientifically focused missions. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory of

Laurel, Md., designed, built and operates the spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA's

Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science instruments were built by the Applied

Physics Laboratory; Goddard; the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; and the University

of Colorado in Boulder . GenCorp Aerojet of Sacramento, Calif . and Composite Optics Inc. of

San Diego provided the propulsion system and composite structure (Boyd, 2009). This shows

various companies joining together to form one of the best spacecrafts, in order to find ET .

Therefore, these companies believe in Extraterrestrial life.

The probe has discovered a previously unknown large impact basin about 430 miles

in diameter . The discovery of this large and unusually well preserved impact basin shows

concentrated volcanic deformational activity (Ridpath, 2008). "This basin formed about 3.9

billion years ago, near the end of the period of heavy bombardment of the inner solar

system," said Thomas Watters from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington (NASA,

2008). The MESSENGER mission has shown evidence of other factors not present on

mars.Thus providing us with support that, ET may exist on planets with resources other than

water .

Another space probe Cassini-Huygens was launched in 1997 by the NASA and ESA.

The height of the probe is 16 ft. and the power source it uses is Radioisotope thermoelectric




generator . It senses light and energy, magnetic fields and analyzes planet¶s surface, takes

photographs. Another probe Smart1, conducts lunar analysis, tests for water on planets in the

solar system. It was launched by the ESA in 2003 (Dorling Kindersely Limited, 2007).

An American Mars robot named Rover, rolls, recharges, takes photographs and X-

rays, carries out geological analysis about Mars. An ESA mission to Mars, the Beagle 2,

conducts biological studies using sensors, takes photographs, and complies with

environmental data (Dorling Kindersely Limited, 2007). Mars rotational period and seasonal

cycles are likewise similar to earth, thus making it possible for ET to exist .

To sum it all up, both NASA and ESA look forward to finding other life forms, so

that people can know that we are not alone in this universe. Other companies, who provide

the parts for the manufacturing of space vehicles also, look forward to find ET in the future.

3. Ancient and ear ly modern beliefs of people about the ET

existence

Since ancient times, people have believed in ET. There were various people of

various countries who had believed in ET. Some examples of countries who believed in ET

were ancient India, Babylon, Assyria, Sumer, Egypt, Arabia, China and South America (Hi 5,

2007). But during these periods of time, cosmology was often associated with the

supernatural, and the notion of alien life was very difficult to distinguish from that of gods,

demons, and such. The ancient Greeks believed that stars and planets of the night sky were

home to gods and other men.

Physics and Cosmology captured the limelight in the first half of the century with the

discovery of Big Bang, galaxies and the expanding universe(Dick, 2000). People of the early

modern era also believed in ET. This is easily proven as ³The Talmud states that there are at

least 18,000 other worlds, but provides little elaboration on the nature of those worlds, or on

whether they are physical or spiritual. Based on this, the 18th century exposition "Sefer




HaB'rit" posts that extraterrestrial creatures exist, and that some may well possess

intelligence. It adds that human beings should not expect creatures from another world to

resemble earthly life any more than the resemblance of sea creatures with land animals .´

(Tarter, 2001).

In AD 1000, the geocentric cosmology of Aristotle and Ptolemy dominated

intellectual thinking, then centered in Islamic Civilization(Dick, 2000). Within Islam, the

statement of the Qur'an "all praise belongs to God, Lord of all the worlds" indicates multiple

universal bodies, and maybe even multiple universes, which may indicate extraterrestrial and

even extra-dimensional life (Tarter, 2001). Three centuries from the Scientific Revolution

through, to the beginning of the modern era of solar system, probes were essentially the

zenith for belief in Extraterrestrials in the West (Crowe, 1999).

4. Types of searches conducted by scientists on ET

Furthermore, there are different types of searches conducted by scientists on

Extraterrestrial life. The two types of searches, to find ET,are indirect and direct searches.

Indirect search theorizes that any alien in space will be transmitting information. Projects

such as SETI are conducting astronomical searches for radio activity which would confirm

the presence of intelligent life. SETI stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. It is an

exploratory science that seeks evidence of life in the universe by advanced technology

(Astrobiology society, 2009). Another related suggestion is that aliens might broadcast pulsed

and continuous laser signals in the optical, as well as infrared thathave the advantage of not

smearing in the vast area of space, and may prove more conducive as a way to communicate

between different stars or galaxies.

The second way of search is the direct way of searching, which includes projects

being sent to space, to find other planets which may contain ET. The Kepler Mission sent by

NASA, is a way of a direct search which was launched in March 2009.NASA¶s 600 million




dollar Kepler space telescope was dispatched from Cape Canaveral to search the galaxy for

planets that could harbor life. This is specially sent to space to find other life forms present in

the universe. William Borucki, Kepler mission¶s chief scientist, said that Kepler Mission will

help survey 100,000 sun-like stars over the next four years, looking for orbiting planets in the

³habitable zone´ where conditions ³are not too hot and not too cold but just right´ for life

(Financial Times, 2009). An astronomy professor at San Francisco State University said,

³The results of the Kepler space Telescope will help us chart a course toward one day

imaging a pale blue dot like our planet, orbiting another star´ (Financial Times, 2009).

The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched two powerful and advanced space

telescopes, named Herschel and Planck . NASA already has a space telescope, the eighteen

year old Hubble Space Telescope. Astronauts will install new gyroscopes, batteries and other

essential parts to make the telescope work for the next five years. Astronauts will also install

a third-generation wide field camera that¶s up to thirty-five times more powerful than its

predecessor (NASA, 2008). Another new instrument, a cosmic Origins Spectrograph, will

analyze ultraviolet light streaming from faint, far- off objects. Hubble Space Telescope is

better able to study galaxies, stars, and planets beyond our solar system.

Herschel will have the largest mirror ever put in space (3.5 m. across). Herschel¶s

infrared vision will let it see stars and galaxies as they were forming billions of years ago

(Boyd, 2009). Herschel can also peer through clouds of cold gas and dust.

Planck will have the sharpest vision, detecting differences as small as two parts in a

million. It will study tiny ripples in tiny cosmic micro-waves background to find out what

happened before the universe was 380,000 years old (Boyd, 2009). It will provide the

deepest, clearest, sharpest, and least obstructed view of the beginning of the universe ever

seen. Planck is 10 times more sensitive and has three times the resolution of the best

American microwave telescope, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, which was




launched in 2001. Planck can detect temperature differences as small as one ten millionth of

a degree. (Boyd, 2009).

The three telescopes will study different pieces of the universe. If all three

instruments work as planned, scientists will be able to look back almost to the birth of the

universe 13.7 bn years ago (Boyd, 2009). They could detect the first stars and galaxies, and

prove ± or disprove ± theories about what happened in the first seconds after the ³big bang´,

when cosmologists think that everything began.

These three important developments in science will also help everyone to know about

other planets which may contain extraterrestrial life, or other life forms. Along with these

three telescopes, these are several other space probes, which are orbiting planets and will be

orbiting planets in a few years¶ time.Furthermore, it is fascinating to see space agencies

getting so much involved to find out more about the universe. All these three telescopes will

tell us a great deal about the universe and ET. NASA and ESA may get close to finding new

worlds in the universe and may even be successful in finding ET.

5. Explanation about U.F.O.¶s

Finally,Unidentified Flying Objects. The abbreviation of ³Unidentified Flying Objects

³is ³UFO´. UFO¶s are popularly described as vehicles in which aliens travel. UFO¶s are

spacecraft sent to earth from another civilization on another planet with a distant star . The

following table shows us the number of UFO sightings in the 21st century. This helps us to

know that UFOs are real, thus ET can exist.




Table 2

Number of UFO sightings in the 21st

Century

2004 3

2005 1

2006 6

2007 17

2008 8

2009 (Till May 2009) 3

There is no proof of an UFO until now, but people have been reported to have seen

them. The reporting of UFOs tells us that they could be of all colors, with a shape of an oval

or a circle. The reporting of UFOs also tells us that Aliens travel in the UFOs.

Observers have mainly sighted UFOs near military bases and tall buildings. An

example of an UFO sighting was in New Delhi in India which was named the ³New Delhi

Incident.´ This sighting was made in 2007 by a group of people in New Delhi over the

President¶s house. The UFO sighting, ³The Tinley Park Lights´ in 2004 in the United States

of America, also gives us more evidence of UFOs being present in this universe. This

sighting was made by Jeff Ruby, a reporter for the Chicago Magazine. Another example of an

UFO sighting was in Chicago. Some Chinese employees interviewed by the Chicago Tribune

newspaper said that they saw a flying saucer like object hovering over Chicago¶s airport.

They sighted the UFO as a dark grey, circle shaped object with no lights (Good, Alien

U pdate, 1995). This again shows us more proof that ET exists.

Table 2 Source: The Telegraph: 140 Years of UFO sightings



EXISTENCE OF EXTR ATERR ESTR IAL LIFE14

48%

44%

8%

Who b ̈

lieve in ET

Who do not believe in ET

Who are not sure

6. C lusi

In conclusion, this paper has examined a few aspects of Extraterrestr ial life (ET) and

the reasons for their existence. In shor t, there is a possi bility of existence of other life forms

in the universe.People in the past have believed in ET and people still believe in ET, as no

one in the universe knows what lies beyond our galaxy. Even Black Holes may contain other

life forms. ³Why would God construct such an enormous universe if only one small planet

was to be inhabited?´ Of course God has created a huge universe for more var ious beings to

live harmoniously amongst each other.

We already know that the Ear th is tough; it can survive conditions which are harsher

than a drain cleaner. But what are the limits for life in general, which may exist somewhere

unknown to man? There could be life out there which may need nothing to survive. Thus, we

have a very high probability of f inding ET. The more planets we search, we increase our

possi bilities.For example, Eta Car ina is a very unstable star of the k ind, that we probably

wouldn¶t expect to suppor t life, but we still do not know the limits for life in general.

The char t above shows the percentages of people who believe in ET, who do not

believe, and people who are uncer tain.The advances of technology have revolutionized the

view that we have of ouruniverse. The main reason why we are not successful in f inding

Extraterrestr ial life is that the universe is a huge and vast space, that results in mak ing it

diff icult for us to travel in space to f ind ET and maybe, the same reason is applicable to other

life forms in the universe.Thus, life exists but we do not know where.

Table 3:

Beliefs of eo le in the United States of America

Table 3 Source: Telegraph:Do you believe that aliens exist?




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