NASA plans to launch an "Alien Hunter" telescope, which experts believe will discover a living planet by 2050.
The Habitable World Observatory (HWO) will be launched around 2040, after which it will search for "multiple biological signatures" released by living organisms.
Dr. Jesse Christiansen, Chief Scientist at NASA. Jessie Christiansen is sure that HWO will find "signals in the atmospheres of planets in the sun-like stellar habitable zone" in our lifetimes.
Scientists involved in the project have identified 25 terrestrial planets orbiting sun-like stars as potential candidates.
Known as the "Super Hubble" telescope, HWO is capable of directly imaging Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars.
The observatory will also be equipped with mirrors similar to the James Webb telescope, as well as ultra-precision optics to scrutinize the atmospheres of these worlds for signs of life.
NASA's exoplanet team, made up of astronomers, physicists, engineers and scientists, met in New Orleans last January to discuss the tools needed to accomplish this mission.
Dr. Courtney Drexing, a Berkeley astronomer and co-leader of the HWO Scientific Architecture Review Team (START) Courtney Dressing) proposes to equip the HWO with the ability to detect "multiple biometrics."
Dr. Dretsin points out that these so-called "biogases" are produced by living organisms; aerosols and other air pollutants; "Surface biological features", such as infrared heat produced by plants, and more artificial "technical features" made by civilized alien races, are "likely to be detected with HWO".
She continued, "Additional information about the planets and their planetary systems will help interpret biological signatures and rule out false positives." ”
However, astrophysicist Dr. Jesse Christiansen, who serves as chief scientist at NASA's California Institute of Technology's Exoplanetary Science Institute, has been replaced by astrophysicists. Jessie Christiansen believes that HWO could find evidence of extraterrestrial life shortly after its launch in 2040.
In an interview with New Scientist magazine, Christian said: "I believe that in our lifetime, telescopes like HWO will see signals of life in the atmospheres of rocky planets in the sun-like stellar habitable zone." ”
She told the Pasadena Weekly last month, "A big part of my work revolves around that goal." ”
Dr. Christiansen explained: "We are asking scientific questions that we hope this telescope will answer. We use these questions to define how big a telescope is needed, which area to observe, and how long. And then we submit those requirements to NASA and say, 'Hey, let's build this.'" ’”
Collecting electromagnetic spectra beyond the visible spectrum, such as infrared and ultraviolet light, and even X-rays, is one of the methods astronomers use to better understand the universe.
For example, the Hubble Space Telescope focuses on visible light, capturing older red stars and younger blue stars in more galaxies.
But the infrared sensor on the new James Webb telescope is better at imaging gas and dust clumps on the spiral arms of galaxies, as well as capturing the dense cores of star systems.
"We were able to observe stars with such precision and exquisite instruments that we were able to see the planets around them," Dr. Christiansen noted. Now, we know that there are thousands of planets, and most stars have planets. ”
Although more than 5,000 new exoplanets have been recorded and dozens of terrestrial candidates have been discovered, she added: "We still haven't found planets like Earth, rocky planets located in sun-like stellar habitable zones." ”
According to NASA, military contractors Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Ball Aerospace (BAE Systems) will begin their work on the HWO project this summer.
The three-company's two-year, $17.5 million work will include building "ultra-stable" optical sensor systems that NASA hopes will "go beyond the current state of the art" to help keep the HWO program in orbit for as long as possible.
Northrop Grumman's contribution to this work will be the protective support of the telescope's optical system, which they hope will ensure that the HWO can withstand unexpected events in the harsh environment of space.
However, this year's spending pales in comparison to the total $11 billion NASA wants the U.S. government to spend on its HWO telescope program.
By the end of its official mission, the HWO will focus on directly imaging at least 25 potential habitable world leading candidates. Dr. Christiansen wonders if humanity will change as a result.
"This could lead to a revolution in life, religion, philosophy and science," she said. Although the astrophysicist also admitted that the public's reaction may have come as a surprise to her.
"It's probably going to be the headlines of the day," she admits, "and then people go back to their old lives." ”