Search+for+Alien+Life+-+JW

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Rubric: [[file:Space Exploration Adventure Rubric.doc]], [[file:Space Exploration Adventure Rubric.pdf]]

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Anything that is from a planet other than Earth is called extraterrestrial. Ways to look for life... . One is to send astronauts and/or spacecraft to otherplanets and test their water, soil, and rocks for microorganisms . A second way to look for alien life is to study rocks that have come from otherplanets. .They were blasted free when Mars was struck by large meteorites many millions of years ago. 1996, scientists with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that they had found tiny fossils in meteorites from Mars—proof that there is microscopic life on that planet. Places with life or might have life..... Super Earth Huge quantities of water vapour have been detected on a ‘super-Earth’ 40 light years away – even more water than exists here. What's more, researchers believe that it once lingered in the so-called 'Goldilocks Zone' near its star, before wandering closer in and heating up. It means it could have played host to alien life millions of years ago... Astronomers at America's Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) used the Hubble Space Telescope to probe the planet - discovered in 2009 and codenamed GJ1214b - and proved that it is a waterworld enshrouded by a thick, steamy atmosphere. Wet, wet, wet: An artist's conception of GJ1214b, which is a watery super-Earth orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years away ‘GJ1214b is like no planet we know of,’ said astronomer Zachory Berta. ‘A huge fraction of its mass is made up of water.’

Callisto NASA scientists had declared Callisto a "dead and boring moon" until the discovery of a possible salty ocean beneath its surface. NASA's Galileo spacecraft did a fly-by of Jupiter's second largest moon in 1996 and 1997 and found that Callisto’s magnetic field varied, indicating currents. In 2001, Galileo detected that an asteroid had struck the moon, forming the Valhalla impact basin. Usually, such an impact would cause intense shock waves to ripple through the planetary body, but Galileo couldn't find any evidence of this, leading scientists to theorize that a watery ocean could have softened the blow. In keeping with the theme that water might equal life, astronomers believe that if such an ocean exists on Callisto, it’s possible that complex life might also be in it. Enceladus (saturns moon) When Cassini did a fly-by through one of Enceladus's geysers spewing ice and gas in 2005, the probe detected carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen -- all key elements for supporting living organisms. What's more, the temperature and density of the plumes could indicate a warmer, watery source beneath the surface. Still, no life has been confirmed. Yet. Extremophile life forms found in Earth's undersea thermal vents and Arctic ice where no sunlight reaches gives scientists hope of the possibility that similar microbes could survive on Enceladus. Mars The next frontier, Mars has long been a target for extraterrestrial life hunters, but its arid and barren landscape has turned our attention away from finding little green Martian men to finding simpler life forms. But there is evidence that the Red Planet had a warmer and wetter past: dried-up river beds, polar ice caps, volcanoes and minerals that form in the presence of water have all been found. In 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander sent back photos of ice chunks it had found after scooping up handfuls of soil, a huge discovery in the search for liquid water -- a key ingredient for life. Another key ingredient for life was found the following year: NASA scientists detected methane in the Martian atmosphere, indicating that the planet is still alive. Although no life has been confirmed on Mars, scientists are hopeful that it's just hiding. Methane-producing microbes were some of the earliest life forms on Earth, so if the same exists for the Red Planet, chances are these bacteria are well below the surface. Europa This Jovian moon isn't trying to give life the cold shoulder. In fact, it could be a home not just to simple micro-organisms, but also complex life. Scientists have theorized for years that an ocean could be hiding beneath Europa's icy surface, one that even contains oxygen. After studying how quickly Europa's surface ice was replenished, University of Arizona researcher Richard Greenberg estimated in 2009 that enough oxygen reaches the subterranean ocean to sustain 6.6 billion pounds of "microfauna" -- more complex animal-like organisms. Before we get too carried away, it's important to note that no definitive evidence has been found to support that said ocean even exists beneath the ice.

. Visuals Make sure to include the location of your image; add a caption with this information
 * [[image:http://www.astronomy.com/~/media/Images/News%20and%20Observing/News/2012/02/super-Earth.ashx?mh=300&mw=300 width="294" height="280" caption="Super Earth citation at bottom blue"]] || [[image:http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastFetch/UBER1/bcls_0001_0003_0_img0140 width="225" height="275" caption="pc view of meteorite from Mars.study the yellowish shapes were created by bacteria-like organisms that may have lived on Mars"]] || [[image:http://ts2.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=5054094658177161&id=02b7182b8774389c50f10519db5f8c32&index=newexp width="247" height="260" caption="enceladus"]] ||
 * [[image:http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4841571093972515&id=d640e8950b0861e36f90f438c47d10ad&index=newexp width="229" height="229" caption="Europa"]] || [[image:http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4944817801135160&id=061471952ce90869b7f6b8baca714c7e&index=newexp width="212" height="208" caption="Mars"]] || [[image:http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4531195281475956&id=5df9161171f2e2800ff1dcc3d8ce6dd0&index=newexp width="219" height="208" caption="callisto" link="http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoTH8QV1PwU0AajmJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dcallisto%26fr%3Dslv8-att%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D0&w=572&h=583&imgurl=apod.nasa.gov%2Fapod%2Fimage%2F0201%2Fcallisto3_gal_big.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fapod.nasa.gov%2Fapod%2Fap020120.html&size=59.5+KB&name=APOD%3A+2002+January+20+-+Callisto+Full+Face&p=callisto&oid=59cb188b0636c17a536e3f766efef8d1&fr2=piv-web&fr=slv8-att&tt=APOD%253A%2B2002%2BJanuary%2B20%2B-%2BCallisto%2BFull%2BFace&b=0&ni=56&no=0&tab=organic&ts=&sigr=117r0arpf&sigb=130b6c4ik&sigi=11j4dtavs&.crumb=ugtVyXyfmAD"]] ||
 * [[image:http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4841571093972515&id=d640e8950b0861e36f90f438c47d10ad&index=newexp width="229" height="229" caption="Europa"]] || [[image:http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4944817801135160&id=061471952ce90869b7f6b8baca714c7e&index=newexp width="212" height="208" caption="Mars"]] || [[image:http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4531195281475956&id=5df9161171f2e2800ff1dcc3d8ce6dd0&index=newexp width="219" height="208" caption="callisto" link="http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoTH8QV1PwU0AajmJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dcallisto%26fr%3Dslv8-att%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D0&w=572&h=583&imgurl=apod.nasa.gov%2Fapod%2Fimage%2F0201%2Fcallisto3_gal_big.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fapod.nasa.gov%2Fapod%2Fap020120.html&size=59.5+KB&name=APOD%3A+2002+January+20+-+Callisto+Full+Face&p=callisto&oid=59cb188b0636c17a536e3f766efef8d1&fr2=piv-web&fr=slv8-att&tt=APOD%253A%2B2002%2BJanuary%2B20%2B-%2BCallisto%2BFull%2BFace&b=0&ni=56&no=0&tab=organic&ts=&sigr=117r0arpf&sigb=130b6c4ik&sigi=11j4dtavs&.crumb=ugtVyXyfmAD"]] ||

**Works Cited** **Sources** : Include the source information for all of the magazine articles, reference sources (encyclopedias) and web site pages that were used to complete your project. The source information for encyclopedias may be found at the end or beginning of each entry in iCONN. When using periodicals, the publication information will be at the beginning or end of the article. This needs to be formatted for MLA standards. If it is not labeled 'Source Citation' it can be formatted appropriately by using EasyBib.com. You should use EasyBib for the web sites. The final Works Cited should be listed in alphabetical order by the first word of the source citation. "Milky Way." //Kids InfoBits Presents: Astronomy//. Gale, 2008. Reproduced in Kids InfoBits. Detroit: Gale, 2012. "The Milky Way." //WMAP's Universe//. NASA, 28 June 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. . Vergano, Dan. "Galaxy Bracketed by Big Bubbles." //USA Today// 10 Nov. 2010: 05A. Web. 6 Mar. 2012.
 * Sample:**

Extraterrestrial Biotechnology." //Biotechnology//: //Changing Life Through Science//. Vol. 3: Industry. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 661-665. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 6 Mar. 2012. Read more: [|http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2110936/Planet-GJ1214b-water-Earth-say-CfA-researchers.html#ixzz1oMaSg5Pv]   NASA/JPL/Arizona State University/Galileo Project/Voyager Project  []
 * Your Source List:**

**Topic: Research Focus**
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 * State the focus of your research:**
 * Ways to find life and places there could be life on.**

**Notes** ==== Include notes, statistics and facts that you will use to write your final paper. You may want to label sections of your notes to help you be more organized as you write. As you take notes from a source, you should list the source citation in the Works Cited section above. ====

they might find life on europa beacause they found water.