Recently, a major development has occurred in American academics. The news that came out just a few days prior to the now infamous Oscars. NASA scientists have discovered a system of planets, called the Trappist system, right in our galactic neighborhood. The system, part of the Aquarius constellation, contains seven planets that are so close together, they effect each others' gravity, and one could look up and see clouds, continents, and possibly even cities on the planet above them. Which is all the more likely, considering at least three of these planets are in Trappist-1's habitable zone, or “Goldilocks zone” - meaning the conditions are just right for life as we know it to form. So, the questions that come up from this announcement – how will we continue to investigate this system, what possibilities are there for life, and what will this mean for the world in the next few years? Allow me to speculate, and consider the possibilities the unknown presents to us.
NASA has always
pushed the boundaries of discovery. From developing missiles and
rockets during the 1950s and eventually bringing Neil Armstrong, Buzz
Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the Moon in 1969. Fast forward to now,
and despite a lack of sufficient budget, NASA was able to find a
possibly habitable system. The plan is to put new Hubble-type
telescopes in orbit and target them towards the Trappist system.
Without a doubt, NASA will continue to search for other solar systems
in our neighborhood, whether they are nearby (within a hundred light
years or so) or even further. The technology has advanced, allowing
for probes and other equipment that is too classified for the public
to know about. To continue searching in and around the Trappist
system, they'll have to put all their efforts into developing new
methods and creating new devices. Humans have always been explorers
and researchers, and instead of finding “the New World” across
the ocean, we now are looking for entire planets. This will not be a
small finding for the esteemed agency, but the first step in
essentially building a map of local space.
To
the second question, the possibility of life. Three planets in the
Trappist system have the capability of life, or at least as we know
it. Assuming that they also evolved from carbon, it would be likely
they would be at least slightly human-like, but this is also
dependent on their environment. We must question, however, whether or
not our concepts of what conditions would be required for life are
applicable. One such species may not require water or a temperature.
The discovery of a species that did not follow what we consider the
“requirements” would shock the scientific world in a way that is
almost unimaginable. How developed would this civilization be? Would
our transmissions be received, or are they primative, slowly forming
new civilizations and becoming more advanced, not unlike humanity? Of
course, we must consider what discovery of life on another planet
would mean in terms of Earth civilization. Life as we know it is a
very well written and well-investigated set of categories and rules.
Extraterrestrial life would rock those concepts to their very core.
The proof of alien life may be too far for some, and as portrayed in
Contact and to a
lesser extent, Batman v Superman,
religious objections would be raised. Likely, it would be a
revelation that would call in scholars of all academics to determine
what to do. The Voyager 1 probe
is already out of our Solar System, but it is outdated. It is time we
sent another – containing music, stories, language, math,
everything we consider “human” to present to whoever intercepts
it from the Trappist system. Every level of our society would change
and be affected.
So
what will this discovery mean for Earth in the long run? Well, the
obvious first – we've discovered an entire planetary system. With
the launches of new space telescopes starting in 2018, we look to a
possible second Space Race, this time trying to master cross-system
travel. Private companies like SpaceX are already working on a Mars
mission, so it is only a matter of time before NASA does the same.
Perhaps a return to the Moon. At the same time, the easiest thing to
do is to attempt communication. By sending signals, we could be able
to transmit messages towards these planets, in hopes of a response.
As long as there is new information, a new interest in space and the
unknown is likely. We are already seeing a larger amount of people of
all backgrounds looking into working in STEM fields, and if we
continue to search further, expanding our knowledge of the universe,
this influx won't be just a passing movement. The Trappist system
discovery will lead to further discoveries and further attempts to
see beyond our solar system, and it will take the next generation to
get us beyond our reaches.
This
may sound like ramblings. But this is exactly what the thought
process should be when it comes to space exploration. We must look
beyond our surface and look up to the stars. One day, we will be
sending explorers to the cosmos, not unlike early European
expeditions across the Atlantic. If there is life on the Trappist
planets, perhaps they are also wondering what else is out there. On
Earth, we've made a groundbreaking discovery, one that will affect
the work of NASA for generations. It will take people and groups from
all over the world, coming together in peaceful cooperation, to
continue searching these systems for the next big human discovery. We
must, as said in Star Trek,
“boldly go where no man has gone before.” And if NASA keeps this
up, we just might do that within our lifetimes.