where would the most likely place for life be in our solar system?

I don't know if this has been touched on before, but here goes. Where would the most likely place for life be in our solar system other than earth? Is it really Mars? Or is it one of Saturn's many moons? Or Jupiter's moons? Europa perhaps? Your opinions?

depends on what kind of life forms your looking for. It is possible that any planet or moon with an atmoshpere could have life on or in it

mars is the best place for life similar to earth

I was thinking that there might be complex animal life in Eoropa's ocean[s]. Not intelligent life. There could be heated vents in her ocean[s] that might support complex animal life, i.e. fish, etc. Of course one has to wonder how the "building blocks" of life even reached the ocean[s] when they're covered in solid ice. Maybe the "building blocks" made their way there while Europa was still young. Something to think about.

Originally posted by HALLOWEEN78
Of course one has to wonder how the "building blocks" of life even reached the ocean[s] when they're covered in solid ice.

Those building blocks were "all over the place" when life started here in Earth so as well they might be anywhere in Europa under it's ice cover.
And black smokers in bottoms of oceans spew out water which contains lot of dissolved compounds and molecules. Also there's no need for oxygen... ecosystems around black smokers are completely based on sulphur.

And Europa definitely has some kind activity because ice shell is young, lack of craters tells that it has renewed itself astronomically short time ago... and it's propably still renewing itself because "power plant" of that process isn't going anywhere, just remember that Io is even more active than earth because of same "gravity press".


PS. Don't distort quotes.
"The clergy believe that any portion of power confided to me (as President) will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the alter of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough in their opinion."
Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Rush, 1800

Originally posted by E_T
PS. Don't distort quotes.
"The clergy believe that any portion of power confided to me (as President) will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the alter of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough in their opinion."
Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Rush, 1800

I knew that. I've studied Jefferson for years and years. What are you getting at? I scaled down the quote because the full quote that was in the letter is too long to go into the signiture. And that's the portion of the quote they use at the Jefferson memorial, so I'm most certainly not mis-quoting him or distorting the quote seeing as how the overall jist of the quote stays the same. I don't understand what your point is.

i really dont know why so much attention is focused on Mars and not the more interesting places in the solar system such as Europa, Titan and Io.

Drag! I was hoping you didn't include that Earth exception. Then I could show up and be all snide and sarcastic and say life would most likely be found on Earth. However, you caught that and prevented me from doing that. So instead, I'm going to retreate to my cubicle and have a good cry.

Doesn't Mars have a much better chance of supporting life than frozen moons? I mean the temperature range is a lot like earth, we could live there ourselves if we set up some mood lighting.

Under europa's surface it is predicted that there might be a massive ocean. Im not denying the fact that we should be going to mars, im glad we are, i just would like a bit more attention on the other places in the solar system. At the moment the JIMO project looks like its going to be cancelled.

Scientists still believe that we'd be most likely to find life in the "Goldlocks Zone" (not too cold, not too hot) around a star. When I was a kid, Venus was the top choice, because of the tropical climate under that cloud cover. It wasn't until I was a grown man that we found that "tropical" climate to be ~900 deg F due to the greenhouse effect. Oh, well.

My guess is that the first place we'll find extraterrestrial life will be Mars, because we'll bring back Martian samples first. However, I think that anything larger and/or more complex than Martian bacteria won't be all that likely.

As far as more complex, multicellular life, I'd probably go with one of the gas giant satellites; the gravitational tug of their primaries (whether Jupiter or Saturn) should be able to generate enough heat, and all that yummy primordial soup (ammonia, methane, and water) seems like a great life-incubator to me.

I just hope I can live long enough to see (or at least know about) extraterrestrial life.

Who knows? Perhaps a young man -- not yet an astronaut -- from Finland might be the one to make the discovery!

I agree.

I have no doubt that at one time Mars had life on it. It may even still have simple life on it. However, the interesting imho will be found on Europa. Like I've always said, "where there's an ocean, there's life."

I know this is Hoaxland's website, but what does everyone think about this possible? fossil on Mars? Ha sit been debunked?

www.enterprisemission.com...

Very interesting! Fossils on Mars would be a smoking gun for the theory that there is/was life on earth.

Those berries happen on earth though.

And, they crushed the fossil because they wanted to see what was inside... not to destroy evidence that there was life on Mars, that would just be stupid.

lol Yeah. Could they even find a three to four billion year old fossil?

Originally posted by HALLOWEEN78
lol Yeah. Could they even find a three to four billion year old fossil?

I would have to say yes, they've found 2.1 billion year old fossils of the earliest lifeforms on earth. (That are still around amazingly! I belive there is a colony of them somehwere on earth...)

Take a Look

originally posted by E_T

And black smokers in bottoms of oceans spew out water which contains lot of dissolved compounds and molecules. Also there's no need for oxygen... ecosystems around black smokers are completely based on sulphur.

The 'black smokers' on the bottom of the ocean are indirectly and directly dependant on oxygen and photosynthesis(whether the food chain or energy consumption). Which is something we don't think we'll find on Europa(ice is to thick). Earth is an ideal place for life and thats why we have these things living in our oceans.

I say Mars first.....Venus second(microbial life living in atmosphere)....and possibly Titan(depending whether or not methane can replace oxygen for living systems).



[edit on 16-5-2005 by Rren]

Originally posted by rufi0o
i really dont know why so much attention is focused on Mars and not the more interesting places in the solar system such as Europa, Titan and Io.

IMO Io probably has no chance of containing life as its topology is just soo volatile.. and sulphurus because of those regualr "mother of all geysers" type of eruptions..

My place to look for life in the sol system:

Mars polar fringes:
Because thy regularly melt and re-freeze thus increasing the probability of a more or less perpetual source of fresh water and maybe a littleO2 even if one goes by the"total recall" way of things!

Europa: AS everyone mustve stated already..numerous signs pointing to an subterreanean sea...If the planets' crust is geologically acitve then they'd be heat vnets sourcs at those regions on the sea bed..
Plus Jupiters gravity may cause enough friction to stretch/contract the ice crust thus generating heat an occasional melt/cracking of the surface ice..
This may again be benefitial..

Titan:
Dense atmossphere.. high levels of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere(not sure confirm)...
Seas of liquid methane... CH4.. could be a precursor to carbon-H based lifeforms.. like those on earth..

Heck, back inthe 50s they thought venus was an ocean world, mercuray had a habital zone around its day/night perimiter since it kept one face allways pointed towards the sun, mars had vast canals, and a lot of the moons of the gas giants were made out of ice the denstiy of a snowcone

All of the above, plus..

My kitchen sink. Wow... Ive got my own penicillan factory up in here.
Someone call a maid!! PLEASE!!!

Doesn't Mars have a much better chance of supporting life than frozen moons? I mean the temperature range is a lot like earth

No not really, there is nothing on Mars at all to support life.

But Europa is different.

Underneath the ice on Europas surface it is believed there are vast oceans, it is hoped that at the bottom of her oceans Europa will have 'hot vents' just like here on Earth. Strange creatures have been known to survive at the deepest points here on Earth so there is a good chance life could also be in the deep, dark oceans of Europa!

And this is why We Need A Rover On Europa!!!