Moon could act as a "fishing net" for extraterrestrial life, according to a Harvard scientist

According to a Harvard scientist, evidence of extraterrestrial life could be much closer to home than most people think.

In an editorial published in Scientific American, Abraham Loeb, theoretical physicists and professor at Harvard, says that our own moon could be a "fishing net" for extraterrestrial life.

"The idea is to consider the surface of the moon as a fishing net for interstellar objects collected over time and potentially to offer building blocks of life from living environments around other stars", Loeb writes in Scientific American.

Since the moon is geologically inactive, Loeb says that the surface would probably retain intriguing interstellar clues brought via an asteroid or other astrophysical source instead of burying evidence buried beneath the lunar surface.

Abrahm Loeb, a Harvard professor and astrophysicist (pictured above), says evidence of extraterrestrial life may be hiding on the surface of the moon.

The geological and atmospheric conditions of the moon make possible the presence of interstellar and even foreign materials, Loeb said.

The objects gathered on the surface of the moon would probably go back billions of years, making the moon a kind of "mailbox", as it says, for objects flying around our solar system.

Although most of these impacts are probably due to objects from our solar system, recent evidence shows that interstellar travelers on our galaxy pass are perhaps much more frequent than expected.

Most recently, astronomers have identified the second known interstellar object to enter our solar system – a comet called 2L / Borisov – which will be visible to the telescope for a year.

In 2017, researchers identified Oumuamua, the first – a mysterious cigar-shaped projectile, a named object that looks like both a comet and an asteroid, although it does not conform to many other defining characteristics usually associated with these objects.

Astronomers have identified an asteroid rock called Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object to cross our solar system two years ago. Portrait of Oumuamua artist

According to Loeb, these objects not only foreshadow extraterrestrial payments on the moon, but their study could also help inform scientists of what may be hidden on the surface.

"This calibration allows us to calculate the amount of interstellar material accumulated on the surface of the moon during its history," he writes.

According to Loeb, based on current measurements of the flow (amount of energy) of interstellar objects, the lunar surface can contain up to 30 parts per million of lunar surface materials.

"Amino acids, which are the cornerstone of" life as we know it, "could represent a few parts per hundred billion," says Loeb.

This rendering (shown above) shows an idea of ​​what a base on the lunar surface might look like. From there, humans could explore the lunar surface.

The micro-fossils of extinct extraterrestrial life, similar to the 3.4 billion-year-old versions found on Earth, are also a distinct possibility, he says.

Of course, the prospect of a more overt sign of life in other parts of the universe would be even more exciting than fragments of interstellar matter.

"Even more exciting would be to find traces of technological equipment that crashed on the lunar surface a billion years ago, which corresponds to a letter from an extraterrestrial civilization saying:" We exist, "writes Loeb.

"Without consulting our mailbox, we would never know that such a message has arrived."

According to Loeb, the United States and China could build a lunar base, but these conclusions could be imminent.

WHAT IS ARTEMIS MISSION OF NASA ON THE MOON?

Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology.

NASA has chosen to personify its path to the moon, which will allow astronauts to return to the lunar surface by 2024 – including the first woman and the next man.

Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will allow human exploration towards the Moon and Mars.

Artemis 1 will be the first NASA deep space exploration system integrated flight test: the Orion Probe, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and ground systems at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida .

Artemis 1 will be an unprepared flight that will lay the foundation for human exploration in the deep space and demonstrate our commitment and our ability to extend human existence on the Moon and beyond.

During this flight, the spacecraft will launch on the world 's most powerful rocket and fly further than any spacecraft built for mankind ever flew.

It will cover 450,000 km (280,000 miles) of Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon during a mission of about three weeks.

Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will allow human exploration towards the Moon and Mars. This graphic explains the different stages of the mission

Orion will stay in space longer than any spacecraft for astronauts, without being docked at a space station, and will return home faster and hotter than ever before.

With this first exploration mission, NASA is leading the next steps of human exploration in the deep space, where astronauts will build and begin to test the systems near the Moon needed for missions to the lunar surface and exploration to other destinations farther from the Earth, including Mars.

The crew will follow a different trajectory and will test Orion's critical systems by boarding humans.

The SLS rocket will change from an initial configuration capable of sending more than 26 metric tons to the Moon, to a final configuration capable of sending at least 45 metric tons.

Together, Orion, SLS and Kennedy ground systems will be able to meet the most challenging crews and cargo missions in the deep space.

Following the Artemis mission, NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by 2028.

The space agency hopes the colony will discover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advances and lay the groundwork for private companies to build a lunar economy.