Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyfire
As you say, it is probably a fairly safe assumption, but with only one known sample planet with life (i.e. Earth!) - and as you also state - we just don't know.
Should we find life on Europa, or possibly the latest candidate of Enceladus, then perhaps (but only just perhaps) we can begin to work some math to determine the likely hood of finding further life in our galaxy, or even further afield, should we ever develop the means to explore that far. Even this will still be speculation based on a 'best guess'.
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I am excited about The Kepler Mission!! I think in about 5 years we will literally know of 100s of New Earths - rocky planets near the Cinderella Zone with the potential for liquid water and therefore, LAWKI.
Aftwerwards, anaylsis of their atmospheres may be able to identify further evidence : Water Vapor, Methane, Oxygen, Nitrogen.
What a thrill it will be to identify some earth like planets with these signatures in their atmospheres. Then, I am afraid, we will not be able to do much else until we could get a probe there. I am afraid there will be a long gap.
