New space telescopes will help us discover ETs

By Dick Pelletier

      

    Most people alive today could one day witness what might be considered the most amazing event ever in human history – proof that intelligent extraterrestrial life exists. Astronomers estimate there are billions of Earthlike planets in our galaxy alone, and with more than 100 billion other galaxies in the universe, overwhelming odds suggest we are not alone.

    With these powerful new scopes, some launched recently and others planned for the future, forward-thinkers believe we will become more knowledgeable about our universe and could, within the next two decades, discover indisputable evidence that intelligent ETs exist. The following list describes these scopes, their purpose, and potential benefits:

   Akari: launched in 2006, this Japanese infrared scope is helping scientists understand how matter from dying stars recycles into new solar systems, including how the Earth was formed.

    Hubble: recent repairs gave this 19-yr-old 2.4 meter workhorse a new 'eye' along with futuristic technology that will help it understand dark energy and how this mysterious power affects planets.

    Herschel and Planck: launched in early 2009, these European Space Agency (ESA) scopes will reach their 1.5 million km Earth orbit this fall and begin viewing our universe before the big bang; with hopes of detecting other universes, which could prove the "multiverse" theory.

    Kepler Mission: in March, 2009, NASA successfully launched this deep space scope to search for earth-sized planets. Currently Kepler is traveling to its orbit around the sun where it will search 100,000 stars for Earth-like planets during its predicted 3.5-to-6-yr lifespan.

    James Webb: NASA's planned James Webb Space Telescope, designated to succeed the aging Hubble, is currently under development by a 15-nation consortium with a planned 2013 launch date. This sun-orbiting system, 1 million miles from Earth, will help scientists understand how stars and planets spring into existence and how life can develop on other worlds.

    Darwin: another ESA effort scheduled for 2016 launch will use three free-flying telescopes that act as one large scope, producing breathtaking clarity that could observe actual evidence of ETs.

    SIM PlanetQuest: this NASA project, also scheduled for 2016 launch, will use procedures similar to Darwin to find extrasolar planets, determine their atmospheric chemistry and potential for hosting intelligent life; plus, map the galaxy and unravel more of dark matter's mysteries. This system would be able to examine a planet 16 light-years away known to Star Trek fans as Spock's home, Vulcan, and possibly detect life.

    Black Hole Imager: now only in the dream stage, this NASA project with a possible launch date of 2030, would consist of two or more telescopes flying in formation with resolution powerful enough to actually capture shadowy images inside black holes.

    If any of these systems discover ETs, we will enter a new era in our relationship with the universe. As we look into the night sky, we would realize that other life forms could be gazing back at us.

    Finding other beings would also imply that life is based purely on science; that we're here only because there were perfect conditions for life to thrive during our planet's development; and billions of other life forms could be sharing our universe as we enter this amazing "magical future."

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.