NASA Seeks Extraterrestrial Life in Universe

Extraterrestrial life is seen from the television and big screen every year. NASA is looking to turn the theory of fiction into universal exploratory endeavors. Earlier this week at NASA headquarters in Washington, a panel of space program scientists dropped an amazing goal. They estimate it will take approximately 20 years for Earthlings to find alien life. The agency is so focused on this initiative they will launch the Transiting Exoplanet Surveying Satellite in just three years. The specialists shared there could be as many as 100 million words within the Milky Way galaxy housing a form of alien life.

One of the focal points of exploration is none other than Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The icy world of Europa is slightly smaller than the Earth’s moon. It is possible Europa houses an ocean with a rocky seafloor, beneath its icy cloak. If scientists can prove water exists on the orb, it can open doors of opportunity.

For centuries the age-old question of “are we alone?” has haunted scientists, and they intend to finally place their questions to rest. NASA has a space mission planned for Europa by the early 2020s, knowing it can take a few years to land on its potential surface. The agency will select 20 proposals in the spring of 2015 to receive funding to begin instrument development for the planned travel. Over the past few years, NASA has monitored Europa and discovered “plumes of water coming out of the cracks.” 

Outside of the prospect of water, researchers state there is an “orange gunk” on the surface, and they want to know what that could possibly be.

Sara Seager an astronomer from MIT in Cambridge, Mass., joined the panel this past Monday in Washington. She stated for years humanity has searched and wondered about finding alien life. Seager has been part of a search group called “Earth 2.0,” which seeks to find evidence of extraterrestrial life.

The search is on and NASA is happy to lead the way. Beyond Europa, researchers and scientists are monitoring and considering different resources to expand their search.

Extraterrestrial life has long been denied by Washington, as millions of “alien abduction” stories have piled up over the decades.

Are we alone? It is a question NASA is officially working on to solve.