6: The beginning of life on Earth and whether life exists elsewhere in our solar system

Probe the evolution of life on Earth, and determine if life exists elsewhere in the solar system

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Beyond Mars, there is evidence for the presence of liquid water in the outer solar system as well . The Galileo mission’s observations of Jupiter’s moon Europa suggest there is water beneath its icy crust. To pursue this dramatic but inconclusive lead, NASA plans a Europa Orbiter and possibly eventually a Europa Lander. Scientists hypothesize that comets impacting Earth may have delivered the materials needed for the origin of life : water, atmospheric gases, and perhaps organic chemicals. To investigate this, NASA will fly missions to study the composition of asteroids, comets, and interplanetary dust. NASA’s Astrobiology Initiative probes the central questions of the origin of life on Earth by tracing the existence of biologically critical elements from the first moments of the universe to the evolution of living beings.

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