Where would you look for life?

[Raikoutrio]

If NASA came to you and said that you can take a probe anywhere in the solar system to look for life, what celestial body would you send it to, and why?

Personally, I would send one to Enceladus, because it has a high probability of liquid water oceans close under the surface.

What do you think?

[astropapi1]

Europa? tenchar

[Galacticruler]

Titan.

Methane based life could be odd...

[Kerbin Dallas Multipass]

See also

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/49778-Other-life-in-the-Solar-system

and http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/49266-Where-in-the-solar-system-would-you-like-to-see-a-sample-returned-from-most

In the latter I also voted for Enceladus:)

EDIT: Oh you asked why:

Yes we know there must be large amounts of liquid water. Do we know that about any other celestial body except earth?

We know there's an water ice cover and hot water below, so it sounds very likely that there might be nice and temperate warm water zones. Conditions might be similar or even more habitable than what we find on earth around black smokers at the bottom of the ocean.

Edited September 28, 2013 by Kerbin Dallas Multipass

[Warhorse]

Well, the smart-ass answer would be Earth ... :-) If that was not the answer they were looking for, I would say the atmosphere of Jupiter, on the the grounds that it has the largest volume with the widest variety of environments, thus maximizing my chances of getting lucky somewhere along the line.

[Drunken Hobo]

See also

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/49778-Other-life-in-the-Solar-system

and http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/49266-Where-in-the-solar-system-would-you-like-to-see-a-sample-returned-from-most

In the latter I also voted for Enceladus:)

Enceladus is also rather easy to probe compared to Europa. No need for any complicated cryobots, just send a probe into a low orbit and analyse the eruptions.

[Arbolus]

The atmosphere of Venus might be interesting to have a look at. Venus had liquid surface water early in its history, so life might have had a chance to get started, and parts of its upper atmosphere today have a similar temperature and pressure to the Earth's at sea level. So it's possible that there could be some form of surviving life floating above the clouds.

[Rockhem]

Titan, methane-based life living a couple meters down in the lakes would be shielded from most of the radiation.

[Sesni]

Eu-ro-pa! Eu-ro-pa!

[lajoswinkler]

Is it so hard to just use the search function? Why are you people opening new thread like you're getting paid for it? We've had several such discussions already.

[comicbstudeo]

my garden. does that count

[Tex]

To be completely honest, I'd send that probe straight to Mars. Now, I know that you might say that we've already been there and what have you, but it is the most likely place that Humanity has discovered yet that is both able to sustain life (including housing all of the building blocks of life) and is feasible for us to travel to and observe these hypothetical specimens.

Mars rocks!

[nuclearpower13]

The Atomsphere and the Surface of Venus

After the landing on Venus According to Ksanfomaliti one of the lead scientist for the verna described seeing, certain objects resembled a "disk", a "black flap" and a "scorpion" which "emerge, fluctuate and disappear" in the pictures taken by Venera 13 camera referring to their changing location on different photographs and traces on the ground. Now its probaly more likely that these objects Ksanfomaliti decribed were the camera slowly melting due to venus's high surface tempreture but it would be intresting to see if his cliams were true or not.

[Rage097]

Europa.

Has a thin oxygen atmosphere (I think) and a possible ocean of water under the ice that could support life.

[-Velocity-]

Europa. You DON'T necessarily have to drill or melt your way down to the ocean. The surface is just a few (dozen?) million years old, seeing as there are very few impact craters, so it stands to reason that the surface ice was very likely ocean water sometime in the not-too-distant past. Just collect some ice samples from near a crack where ocean water might have welled up fairly recently, return it to Earth, and see if there are any organisms frozen in it.

Did any of you guys catch that paper a year or two ago that suggested that Europa's oceans could even be oxygenated? Supposedly, cosmic rays and radiation from around Jupiter could break down ice into oxygen and hydrogen, which then could be absorbed into the ocean when the ice gets subducted back into the ocean layer.

Edited October 3, 2013 by |Velocity|

[-Velocity-]

Europa.

Has a thin oxygen atmosphere (I think) and a possible ocean of water under the ice that could support life.

Yes, but the oxygen atmosphere is EXTREMELY thin, and is produced by ultraviolet light/radiation breaking down ice on the surface into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen escapes very quickly, but the oxygen sticks around for a little longer time period before it escapes.

[-Velocity-]

Titan is a fascinating environment, but I think that most astrobiologists view the possibility of non-water-based life on Titan to be very low, at least compared to the possibility of water-based life on Mars, Europa, or Enceladus. You not only have to have life there, it has to be NOT BASED ON WATER, and biologists tell us that by far, water is the best molecule to serve as a solvent for life. Still, life or no, Titan is a FASCINATING body, and I'd love to see another mission head there... but not before we send another mission to Europa, however.

[Beowolf]

Mercury's day side. Not because I'd expect to find life, but because I like melting things.

My serious answer would have been either Europa or Jupiter's atmo; but others here have me reconsidering Enceladus.

[lajoswinkler]

The Atomsphere and the Surface of Venus

After the landing on Venus According to Ksanfomaliti one of the lead scientist for the verna described seeing, certain objects resembled a "disk", a "black flap" and a "scorpion" which "emerge, fluctuate and disappear" in the pictures taken by Venera 13 camera referring to their changing location on different photographs and traces on the ground. Now its probaly more likely that these objects Ksanfomaliti decribed were the camera slowly melting due to venus's high surface tempreture but it would be intresting to see if his cliams were true or not.

Those are the lens cap and parts of the lander probe. He's firmly attached himself to the famous "Russian scientists" meme/stereotype where you've got a vodka-drinking dumbass working on a once famous government institution who now lost his marbles and talks junk.

Nothing in those photos is changing location. He was either a liar or a dumbass. Most of guys similar to him don't even exist and are made up by the media, but this one actually seems to exist, which is so funny.