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November 23, 2008 Astrobiologists are optimistic about the prospect of discovering signs of extra-terrestrial life by the ‘Sampo’ Solar Lander. The lander, scheduled to touch down on the Sun early in 2011, is the latest in a series of probes and landing craft to explore the Solar System in search of life. “It’s stupid to think that life only exists on Earth, that’s so lame”, says an enthusiastic Biff Neterton, Chief Scientist of the expedition, “but it is possible that we’ve been looking for life in all the wrong places, to paraphrase an old song.” “Basically we’ve been searching for signs of life on planets or large moons, thinking that they would present conditions most similar to the Earth. Searching for life in a hostile environment like the Sun may seem counter-intuitive, but our goal is really to do just that, and frankly, that aspect has never stopped us before.” |
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Despite the incredible temperatures on the Sun that would seem to preclude the survival of any living organism, there are in fact, relatively cool areas on the Sun’s surface where evolution might have gotten a toe-hold. “There’s a reason the Sampo Lander looks something like a refrigeration unit,” says Biff, “it’s equipped to both survive the intense environment it will be operating in and explore these ‘shady zones’, where the temperature is thought to be somewhat in the range of geothermal seafloor vents. Abundant life has been discovered in just such places on the Earth.” |
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