AboutTom Whiting Expertise Astronomy has been my hobby/pasttime for over 50 years. Currently own 3 telescopes, the largest of which is a 30 inch Newtonian truss Dob that is portable.I taught Astronomy/Meteorology at the University Level for 13 years before retiring in 1995. Being retired and home most of the time, I am able to answer all questions relatively quickly, unless it's a new moon weekend with good observing conditions. No astrology questions please, or questions about alleged UFO picture identifications.
Experience Experience: Astronomy has been my hobby and study for over 50 years. We currently now own a 30 inch portable telescope (Updated - Pennsylvania`s largest portable telescope). It can be seen on our website at:http://www.velocity.net/~bwhiting and also attend several regional starparties during the year, and have been on 5 total solar eclipse expeditions.
Organizations: President, Erie County Mobile Observers Group for over 15 years.
Publications: Wrote the "Over Erie Skies" newspaper article in our local newspaper for 11 years (1975-86).
Education: Masters Degree- Taught at the University level for 13 years. Retired 20 years -USAF Pilot - KC-135 with 180 combat missions; Also Eagle Scout, Philmont staff 2 Yrs, Order of Arrow Lodge Chief, Ham Radio (inactive).
Awards: two discoveries: The mini-coathanger asterism in Ursa Minor (the little dipper) And the mini-ladle- another asterism in the bowl of Ursa Minor. Clients: Currently President of the ECMOG as mentioned above.
Education/Credentials BS Metallurgical Engineering Grove City College, PAMaster's Degree, Gannon University, Erie, PA
Also retired USAF pilot, 20 years.
Question The Huyghens probe landed on Titan and searched for life. Spacecraft landed on Mars also which also searched for life.
Sooo.. I ask myself, what will be the consequences for medicine, biology, philosophy and religion if primitive bacterial or plant life is found outside the Earth ?
Answer Hi John,
Actually, the actual search for 'life' is all for publicity....
or secondary to the real mission. The real reasons for those probes are strictly for research and a water-ice search on Mars; very little of these probes are for searching for lifeforms as you noticed...there was no scanning electron microscopes onboard.... (Would you really suspect carbon-based life on Titan at -250 degrees F with a liquid methane and frozen nitrogen terrain)??? Or on Mars with an atmospheric pressure equal to 100,000 feet and almost all carbon dioxide with zero liquid water, and no protection from UV radiation or cosmic rays? (A 30 minute sunburn on Mars would be fatal to any human or any carbon-based lifeform).
The goal for Mars was the finding of water-ice, just like the
polar craters on the moon, the mission of the current LRO
(Lunar Recon Satellite, now in orbit around the moon).
Why? Because we can't mount a long term duration on either world
unless there is water-ice present. Water is heavy...we can't be
hauling all that water out there for an extended period of time.
It has to be...in position to mine out of the ground and if it
isn't, we won't be going there on a semi-permanent basis, it's that
simple. At least not for a long long time, until we have spacecraft
with nearly unlimited power. So that's the primary mission of most
of our planetary probes.
As far as the consequences of discovering any form of life, that's
a biological, philosophical and/or theological question
(which is not my expertise)...each form of religion on the Earth would have to deal with it when it happens, and I suppose each will deal with it in their own way. Just like they now have to deal with the Sun in the center of the Solar System, and not the Earth, (Copernicus/Galileo) or evolution, or the Big Bang...all of which has pretty much been proven and shows the correct methodology involved, as opposed to various "religious beliefs". Most religions perfer to just stay "in denial" of those various topics as they counter fundamentalist literal religious interpretations of the various books involved.
So, you are correct when you say, "I (have to) ask myself, what....."
because being a biological/philosophical/theological question, that's not my expertise....so I have no idea what the consequences
will be.
Hope this helps,
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA USA
FOLLOW UP:
Nor do I care what the consequences are. Science is after the
real truth no matter what the consequences are in any of the non-
scientific endeavors, Eh? That's our job in science...discovery of the real truth irrespective of the outcome. The unbiased real truth.
(What can be a higher goal?)
Clear Skies,
Tom
