science fiction space phenomena that may be real

The only problem is that such a mission would be overwhelmingly expensive.Įven the the unmanned Voyager spacecraft, which left our solar system years ago at a breathtaking 37,000 miles per hour, would take 76,000 years to reach the nearest star. We currently have the technology necessary to send astronauts to another star system within a reasonable timespan. Future missions to Mars, the Jovian moon Europa and future space telescopes such as the Terrestrial Planet Finder will search for definitive answers to this ageless question.ĥ. While many scientists speculate that extraterrestrial life exists, so far there is no conclusive evidence to prove it. We now have evidence that some form of life exists beyond Earth, at least in primitive form. Some of these species multiply best at 221 degrees F, and can reproduce at up to 235 degrees F.Ĥ. More than 50 heat-loving microorganisms, or hyperthermophiles, have been found thriving at very high temperatures in such locations as hot springs in WyomingÕs Yellowstone National Park and on the walls of deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Organisms have been found living happily in scalding water with temperatures as high as 235 degrees F. The lichen survived exposure to the vacuum of space as well as the glaring ultraviolet radiation of the Sun.ģ. They were then resealed in a capsule and returned to Earth, where they were found in exactly the same shape as before the flight. In a European Space Agency experiment conducted in 2005, two species of lichen were carried aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket and exposed to the space environment for nearly 15 days.

Some organisms can survive in space without any kind of protective enclosure. Improved telescopes and detectors have led to the detection of dozens of new planetary systems within the past decade, including several systems containing multiple planets.Ģ. We have strong evidence that that our solar system is not the only one we know there are many other Suns with planets orbiting them. Here's a short quiz to test your knowledge of what's real and what isn't in the area of space travel and the search for extraterrestrial life.ġ.

Science fiction space phenomena that may be real