Nasa ‘space camera’ to hunt down alien planets capable of harboring life – and it’ll try to spot two specific signs
NASA has an ambitious “Super-Hubble” space camera project to seek out alien planets.
Researchers are keen to identify and take pics of at least 25 potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system.
Its Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will be the first telescope designed specifically to search for signs of life on planets orbiting other stars, said .
Nasa has now awarded contracts to three firms to research the device's optics, mission and technical features at a cost of $17.5 million, reported .
And their work is expected to begin late this summer.
The agency's space telescope will peer deep into the distant universe from our cosmic backyard of the solar system.
"Nasa is further prioritizing its long-running search for life in the universe," the agency added.
"The observatory is a concept for a mission that would search for and characterize habitable planets beyond our solar system.
"HWO would be designed specifically to identify potentially habitable planets around other stars, closely examining their atmospheres to determine if life could possibly exist."
There’s oxygen, there’s water vapor, there’s carbon dioxide, there’s methane... if you have all of those, that’s kind of difficult to get without life as far as we know.
Dr. Michelle Thaller
The state-of-the-art telescope will be a large ultraviolet, optical, infrared space device, according to the website.
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"It will be the first specifically engineered to identify habitable, Earth-like planets next to relatively bright stars like our Sun and examine them for evidence of life," it added.
"The observatory would have a mirror large enough to find and study at least 25 potentially habitable worlds around other stars.
"This 'super-Hubble' would reveal whether Earth-like planets are common or rare."
But, it may not be launched into space for at least a dozen years, according to the .
"Astronomers are already excited about its potential," it added.
NOT ALONE
Any discovery of life on an exoplanet — a planet orbiting a star other than our sun — would be “a pivotal moment for mankind,” said Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Division at Nasa headquarters in Washington.
This is “because, finally, we would know that we are not alone in the universe.”
HWO would work in visible and ultraviolet light - unlike the James Webb Space Telescope which was launched three years ago.
Dr. Michelle Thaller, a Nasa scientist, told the U.S. Sun last year the James Webb Space Telescope sees in a type of light that is invisible to our eyes.
"We could find a planet and we could say, OK, from the gases we see, there’s oxygen, there’s water vapor, there’s carbon dioxide, there’s methane.
"Interestingly enough, if you have all of those, that’s kind of difficult to get without life as far as we know," explained Dr. Thaller.
What is an exoplanet?
Here's what you need to know...
- An exoplanet is a planet that is located outside of our solar system and is orbiting its own star, like how Earth orbits the Sun
- They are very hard to see with telescopes because they are often hidden by the brightness of their star
- Nasa sent the Kepler space telescope into orbit to find Earth-sized exoplanets that might support life
- Over 5,500 exoplanets have been discovered so far, and more missions to find even more exoplanets are planned
- A good way to spot an exoplanet is to look for wobbly stars, because a disruption to starlight can indicate that a planet is orbiting it and therefore blocking out light on occasion
- Exoplanets are very common in the universe, and the more we find that look like Earth, the closer we get to knowing whether we're alone out there
In the case of the "Super-Hubble" telescope, the project will focus on trying to spot two specific signs.
Its main job is to take images of Earth-like planets around stars like our Sun.
It will also study their atmosphere to search for chemical signatures for signs of life.
COSMIC LESSONS
There are high hopes the telescope will capture great pics of least 25 potentially habitable worlds.
"It would then search for chemical “biosignatures” in these planets’ atmospheres, including gasses such as oxygen and methane which could serve as critical evidence for life," said Nasa.
The observatory will also provide important new insights into the evolution of cosmic structures, including how galaxies form and develop over time.
"Based on existing exoplanet research, one star in every five is likely to have an Earth-like planet in orbit around it," said Science Alert.
The three space tech firms involved in developing technologies for future large are BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
The gadget will be robotically serviced to help extend its mission time, and cut costs.
“The Habitable Worlds Observatory will be a historically ambitious mission, so we are taking a deliberate, strategic approach to its development and laying the groundwork now," said in late May.
"We’re excited to engage industry to help close technology gaps to make this groundbreaking mission a reality.”
EXTRATERRESTRIAL
This vital design phase comes as officials at the Pentagon continue to deny there is evidence of aliens visiting Earth.
UFO sightings have captivated the American public for decades.
The United States Government launched the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2022 to investigate reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs).
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But in March, the Pentagon said the office found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology, and "concluded that most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification."
It also comes three years before the 80th anniversary of the so-called Roswell incident, where it has been claimed an extraterrestrial spacecraft crashed in the New Mexico desert, with UFO debris and possibly alien bodies recovered by the US government in .
