NASA is assessing support for a major look into the limits of organic life in planetary systems.The purpose of the imaginative study is twofold: To evaluate the possibility that "non-standard" chemistry may support life in known solar system environments and conceivably in extra-solar settings; and to define broad areas that might guide NASA and other agencies to fund efforts to expand knowledge in this area. The assessment would take place over a 15-month time period, undertaken by a National Academy of Sciences study group within the National Research Council's Space Studies Board in Washington, D.C.The expected go-ahead on the effort stems from a "Weird Life" Planning Session, held in April 2002 by the National Research Council’s Committee on the Origins and Evolution of Life.In the past, life detection experiments sent to other worlds have been criticized for being too geocentric -- based on the life here on Earth, also tagged as "terran" life."As the search for life in the Solar System expands it is important to study what exactly to search for," explains a document obtained by SPACE.com detailing the objectives of the proposed scientific study. "This study will inform research program managers, policymakers, and mission designers on the possibilities for life on other solar system bodies.

Further, during planetary protection exercises of NASA, questions concerning the possibility of non-terran life recur repeatedly. Remarkably little knowledge is organized that might shed light on the plausibility of bizarre life as a concern for planetary protection," the working document explains.The new study outline notes that the search for signs of life -- present or past -- is an important goal of NASA's robotic solar system exploration programs. Ultimately, that search for life is also tied to astronomical projects designed to probe the workings of extra-solar planetary systems.

View: Full Article | Source: space.com