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Hunting for a Home beyond our Homie, Earth.

by - MySiTe on - February 01, 2023
 Hello web wanderers, have you ever wondered what will happen if something happens to our dear earth. If you think this possibility is far from the truth, read our article on human extinction coming up soon in the extinction series. If something so unfortunate happened, where could we take our refuge, Is there any room for survival or will the flame of life be forever blown out of existence?



For starters, there is a considerable probability of life being present outside of the planet earth considering the enormous size of our universe. Though we are yet to find any alien life, various potential environments for the sustainability of life have been discovered and some of the likeliest candidates to be labeled as our next home will be discussed here.



First of all, I  would like to divide these into two categories, The first is within our solar system which is not as good in supporting life as the earth is but can be researched well and terraformed shortly as they are comparatively close and can be traveled to using our current technology. Though the act of colonizing these beasts needs huge technological developments. The second is outside our solar system which provides a similar if not better environment than that of the earth to support life. Though they are extreeeeemly far away and cannot be accessed soon. Still, we can hope to reach them sometime before Earth gives up on us.



For the matter of discussion of today, I'll be focusing on our solar system as they are more practical to inhabit. Still, I'll try to give a brief review of some exoplanets at the end.



Before going into the details of which planet to pick and choose, let us first know which planet will be the most suitable to be deemed as the new earth. As mentioned in an article by NASA the basic requirements of life are Water, chemistry, and energy. These three elements are very basic and self-explanatory. Other than these there are some other factors like the distance from the earth for transportation, oxygen, economical viability, proper temperature and pressure, protection from radiation and meteors, and more.

Also, there is a different thing of hunting life in the universe, which basically searches for the presence of life outside earth. This must not be confused with the topic of discussion of today. Because in hostile environments with different chemical compositions, there might be species that can survive by doing chemical reactions. But in our case, we want the resources and environmental conditions such that humans can survive.



This is one of the most intriguing problems in astronomy as the applications are very much practical. Additionally, if we spread out our population on various planets. We can certainly prevent human extinction. 


The candidates in our Solar System

I'll be mentioning the top 3 candidates for the next earth in our solar system.

3. Venus

There was a very close call for having Venus in at number 3 instead of other options that you will get to know in our honorable mentions. The main reason being the place above the clouds of Venus also referred to as paradise by many is the most earth-like place in the entire solar system.



For starters, the size of Venus is comparable to that of earth, and the gravity is also very close. It is relatively one of the closest places for us to colonize. And also it has a smaller launch window. The surface of Venus has really harsh conditions for life such as extreme temperatures. But the place just above the clouds is perfect to support human life. The atmosphere protects us from radiation and meteors unlike the two higher up in the list. The making of balloon cities filled with oxygen and nitrogen is the most popular idea to build a settlement on Venus. As the atmosphere of Venus is made up of carbon dioxide the balloons filled with oxygen and nitrogen will float and the oxygen will also be great for breathing. The rotation period of the planet is very slow, but above the clouds, due to air currents, this day-night cycle also occurs faster.



The Temperature and pressure over there are very similar to that on earth. The major problem is the presence of water. Also, various important minerals and other stuff present on the planet's surface cannot be accessed by us as the temperatures are high enough to melt lead. Also, there is corrosive sulphuric acid present, Hence the floating city must have a proper coating to it. Over 20 successful missions have been carried out and the possibility of building an aerostat habitat with floating cities is suggested by many but the economic viability and other problems mentioned above pose a threat. 


2. The Moon

The latest Artemis program is going to send people to the moon again very soon. Though the major focus is not to build an alternative colony but to extract the resources and start a moon camp at the least. But it can in turn lead to a human settlement there. 



The moon is confirmed to have water resources in it and you can read about this in this article-Water on the moon confirmed, a great opening for deep space exploration.

We need to be ready to access this properly and get to know how exactly the water came to the moon, which can be really helpful for future prospects. Solar electricity can be generated here.

Due to the lack of an atmosphere, the moon is vulnerable to radiation, solar particles, cosmic rays as well as heavier objects like meteors. Well if you think why does the moon not have an atmosphere read this- Why does the moon not have an atmosphere while the earth does??

Also, due to this, there is no greenhouse effect which in turn gives very cold temperatures. The gravity is also pretty low compared to the earth and can cause long-term health issues.



Obviously, we can start by setting up extraction bases there slowly and steadily, And the most important application of colonizing the moon is to use it as a launch pad to launch probes for other missions.

1. Mars

Mars is the most popular place for all, be it science fiction books, illustrations, future missions, and so on. Why is it so?? The major reasons are the presence of water in the polar caps and the presence of various minerals. Also, the thin atmosphere is good enough to sustain life. Self-sufficiency can be achieved on mars in the future though the potential to generate energy using various methods is pretty poor.



Talking about the challenges, there are a lot of them that can be tackled. First of all, it is really far from earth, and if we talk about our current technology the colony on mars will be pretty much isolated from earth. Well what other political and practical implications it can have, that's a topic for discussion for some other day.

Additionally, low gravity can have short-term and long-term effects on human health. The absence of oxygen is another issue. Due to the thin atmosphere, there is no protection from radiation or meteors. The environment is toxic. The temperature is very cold.



Whatsoever it is mars offers the best conditions for life in our solar system, obviously after the clouds of Venus. But so far the most feasible conditions are provided by mars.

Well terraforming mars and colonizing mars by itself has a lot to talk about. So, I would like to postpone this talk to some other day in some other article in great detail.


Honorable menti0ns- Europa and Titan

Water and other nutrients are said to be present on the moon of Jupiter, Europa. NASA's Galileo spacecraft's magnetometer noticed a signature in the magnetic data which is said to correspond to a salty ocean. The presence of energy-forming sources still remains a mystery. 



Life is said to be possible under the icy shell of Europa. Various chemical elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and, so on can be found here. Organisms that can sustain themselves by chemical reactions can be present there theoretically. But finding life on Europa will be a great step to the future and the perspective of viewing our universe would change. Well, I'll keep this conversation brief for the time being.

Now let's jump to the only moon with a dense atmosphere in our solar system, the Titan. It is one of the moons of Saturn. It has rivers, lakes, and seas just like earth. Just like the Earth, Titan is the only other place that has cycles of liquid, like the water cycle. The Cassini spacecraft observed that the moon has an underground reserve of liquid water. This says it can contain habitable life. But the conditions for human survival are still in question there.


Although these are very favorable, they are very far from the earth and pose various problems.
Talking about distances far away I would like to show you the exoplanets just like or even better than the earth outside our solar system before you leave.

Candidates outside our solar system


The planets that can be inhabitable must lie in the habitable region concerning their star. It provides conditions for the presence of all essential conditions and water required for life. But the inhabitable exoplanets are very difficult to reach. Even at near light speed, the closest exoplanet orbit to a star will take around 4-5 years to reach. The parker solar probe which is the fastest probe ever made will take about 6000-7000 years to reach. Hence, with the current technology colonizing such stars will be a tough task. Maybe we can somehow slow the life processes of humans to a very slow rate and preserve them alive for a long time, then maybe we can send them somewhere out, but the fuel required and other challenges must be taken care of as well. Anyways, this seems like a far future now let's take a halt.



The closest star Proxima Centauri has an exoplanet Proxima Centauri b orbiting it, which lies in the habitable zone. Similarly, Trappist 1D orbits its supercool dwarf star Trappist 1 which is around 40 light years away and lies in the habitable zone. Similarly, planets such as Kepler 62e and Gliese 433 d also lie in the habitable zone. Let's discuss more fascinating exoplanets and another super-earth in some other discussion.



Before finishing I would like to say that the earth will be engulfed by the sun within 7.5 billion years before it turns into a red giant. Hence, we have loads of time to develop before we prepare to leave. But I'm afraid we'll be able to survive till then. Especially, with the non-sustainable life we are leading, the clock is surely ticking on us. Hence, let's appreciate how great is our planet earth,  let the scientists and engineers plan it out, and focus more on living sustainably. See ya.



References





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