The Search for Life in the Solar System

1
The Search for Life in the Solar System

• HNRS 228 w/Taylor Geller
• 28 February 2002

2
Whats Up

• A quick but important note
• Searching for Life in Our Solar System
• Sections 6.2 and 6.3 of Bennett, Shostak and
  Jakosky
• Exploring the Solar System
• remotely from Earth or spacecraft, landers on
  surface, human exploration
• Biological Tour of the Solar System

3
H2O and CO2 Phase Diagrams (IMPORTANT)
4
Exploring the Solar System

• Observations from Earth
• ground or orbit based
• Robotic spacecraft
• flybys, orbitals
• landers
• Human exploration

5
Biological Tour of the Solar System

• Moon
• Mercury
• Venus
• (Mars in Chapter 7)
• Jovian Planets
• Other Moons
• Asteroid, comets and other debris

6
Some References

• The Search for Life (especially in the solar
  system)
• http//www.scibridge.sdsu.edu/coursemats/introsci/
  Solarsys/lecture.html
• http//www.resa.net/nasa/ocean_hydrothermal.htm
• http//www.nationalacademies.org/ssb/lifeoriginsme
  nu.htm
• http//www.phy.syr.edu/courses/modules/SETI/where.
  html
• Books
• Life on Other Worlds (Dick)
• Cradle of Life (Schopf)
• Life Everywhere (Darling)
• Life on Other Worlds and How to Find It (Clark)