Aliens Exist?
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For centuries, Americans have wondered if life exists beyond Earth. However, no concrete evidence has arisen, and often, the internet is consumed by conspiracies. In a desperate search to answer this age-old question, NASA has announced that it will launch an orbiter to Jupiter’s moon Europa within this decade. Although not confirmed, NASA has also been rumored to launch an additional orbiter to Saturn's moon Enceladus.
NASA is hoping to uncover extraterrestrial life in the watery oceans that reside beneath the icy shells of these planets, and scientists think this mission is promising as it is believed that life on Earth emerged from here. If any other planet in our solar system is similar to this, there is a possibility that life also exists in the oceans of one of our moons. Interestingly, Jonathan Lunine, Chair of the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University, has spent most of his career investigating this theory.
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Lunine was one of the first to retrieve images from Saturn’s moon Titan after the Huygens Probe landed on it in 2005. This landmark discovery revealed that liquid methane covered the surface of Titan. Since then, Lunine has conducted significant research on Titan and the potential for life in otherworldly oceans. Joining NASA’s science team, he will soon send an orbiter to Europa and is looking forward to finding any sign of extraterrestrial life.
The Europa Clipper mission will launch in October of 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Scientists chose Europa specifically as its ocean is twice the size of the entirety of our oceans. To feasibly launch this orbiter, NASA was awarded approximately $178 million in hopes that it will capture high-resolution images of Europa’s surface, possibly revealing geological activity.
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The more details NASA can retrieve, the easier it will be for them to decide if Europa can sustain life. The orbiter will traverse around Jupiter on an elliptical path. Each time it passes, it will lower closer to the moon to collect information. Currently, NASA has a countdown for this mission and has released many convincing details on the possibility of Europa harboring life.
Many scientists seem convinced that they will discover extraterrestrial life on Europa. However, are the American people convinced? A recent poll found that 75% of people surveyed believe that “life of some form” exists on other planets in our solar system. Another poll found that 49% of Americans believe that “people somewhat like ourselves” exist on other planets.
Image Courtesy: The Tribune
Clearly, the American public is just as convinced as NASA that aliens could very well exist. Is it too soon to think of what effects a discovery of this magnitude would have on our world? Hopefully, NASA will answer our questions soon enough with its launch in 2024. Until then, we will be left wondering if there are other organisms just like us or if the conspiracists got the best of us.
Strike Out,
Bella Kubach
Boca Raton
Bella Kubach is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine. Most of her free time is occupied by buying things she doesn’t need, reading her horoscope religiously, and making an endless amount of Spotify playlists. You can reach her at bellakubachxox@gmail.com
