ASTR 103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Plate Tectonics, Interstellar Travel, Viking Program
Document Summary
The science of life in the universe. The chemical building blocks of life are found throughout space. All life on earth, and presumably on other worlds, depends on organic (carbon-based) molecules. The organic molecules needed for life to originate were probably brought to the young. Another likely source for organic molecules is chemical reactions in the earth"s primitive atmosphere. Similar processes may occur on other worlds. The origin and evolution of life on earth. Searching for life in the solar system. Both of the nasa rovers that reached mars in 2004 landed at locations that may once have been covered in water. The unsuccessful beagle 2 mission to mars was to carry out a different set of biological experiments on samples taken from the interiors of rocks. These experiments may be attempted again on a future mission. The viking lander spacecraft searched for microorganisms on the martian surface, but found no conclusive sign of their presence.
