NASA's quest to answer the question - if humans are alone in the universe - is still being researched. Now, scientists are getting ready to take the biggest leap in that research.
With the help of Georgia Tech researchers, NASA is getting ready to search for life in Jupiter. Scientists are now focused on Jupiter's cold moon, Europa. This is their next phase to seriously look for life in the solar system.
After gathering samples from Mars, NASA and institute researchers are eager to find out more about Jupiter and its moons. Which is why the director of NASA's Planetary Sciences Division, James Green, has promised that they are excited to see if Europa has life. And such an endeavor can only be possible if the space agency works with other teams.
Green directs his attention during the announcement to the Georgia Tech University team for helping NASA move forward when it comes to biology, chemistry and everything related to planetary science, as reported by Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech's partnership with NASA has reportedly yielded findings like the discovery of flowing water on Mars. Now, since their focus is on the frigid temperatures of Europa, they are eager to take samples during the 2021 mission to study if there are organisms that are able to survive in frozen or near-frozen temperatures.
The Georgia Tech-NASA connection is essential to this study as the quest for finding life in the solar system continues. Currently, the Jupiter mission plans include a flyby across Europa, as reported by I4U News. The moon's icy ocean is tempting researchers to find out more.
Both NASA scientists and Georgia Tech researchers agree that life may exist on Europa. Measurements indicate that the ocean's depth is quite deep and has signs of salt which may have rock. They are hoping that a 2020 spacecraft launch can help shed some more light on the study.
Watch the NASA Goddard clip below for images of Europa:
