By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL
"Life. Don't talk to me about life." Marvin the Paranoid Android, Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy
But last night was all about life, and looking for it in some rather unusual places. Scientist Rachel Zimmerman-Brachman from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory was on hand to share with 71 INSPIRE students showed where astrobiologists were focusing the search for extraterrestrial life. The talk brought students to the dense atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, the oceans beneath the ice of Europa, and the geysers of Enceladus.
Ms. Zimmerman-Brachman also talked about how we can look for life signs in the planetary systems around distant stars. Spectroscopy allows us to understand the chemical composition of the atmospheres of these worlds far away. Bringing the presentation back to Earth, we heard how an astrobiologist may travel to diverse and extreme environments to investigate how life adapts there.
Next week, we'll start our month of Engineering with the smallest units of matter, as Randy Scott from Kennedy Space Center talks about his job of Nuclear Engineering and the Curiosity Mars rover. Sign up now in the Discussion Board, and then be sure to sign in next Thursday!
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