This is a Q for the space guys and gals. Actually it's a few questions.?

Question

If the public found out that there are life forms on other planets such as Mars, would it effect how religious people think? Will we ever know if there is life on another planet. From what I heard about a month ago is that we found ice or water on Mars. I also know that every drop of water on Earth contains some type of life whether it be microscopic or not. Is NASA holding this info to prevent chaos or what?

Answer 1

im no astronaut...

but i believe nasa and the government has kept alot of things away from us to prevent chaos around the world

on one hand i approvee of this but on the other i say the people should no about certain things... and the water/ice on mars does have life i think...as you said every drop of water and everycube of ice has some kind of life...i dont think there are "aliens" however because they were just made up by the media...if there is life on anyother planet they are probably very minor and probably just microscopic.

Answer 2

"Religious people" are gonna' think what they're gonna' think, no matter what, or when, or how, or why, etc., etc. anything happens!  But of course, "religious people" are sure to have something to say about it.  They always have something to say about almost everything!

I feel that it's a "given" that there is some form of "life" out there which we just haven't "found" yet, it may not be intelligent "life".  I feel that no one alive, on Earth, or wherever, knows for sure, that there is "life" anywhere, except here on Earth.  Therefore, I feel that we will never "know" in our own lifetime, whether, or not, there is actually "life" on another world, other than our own.  

Water was actually "found" on Mars, and it was found this month, the month of Aug, 2008.  The "water" that was found was found in such a way that there could be no life there.  The "water" was in soil that was "cooked" in an oven and there was a "vapor" present after it was cooked.  The scientist back on Earth feel that the "vapor" proved the "water's" source.  So the robot that has been sent to Mars didn't really see, touch, or actually feel water, but it did "find" the source of it, it is now felt (by those same scientist)

I don't feel that NASA is "holding" anything back from the public.  The process of doing that would involve too many people, that would necessarily have to be involved.  I don't feel that there's a conspiracy, perceived by anyone "to prevent chaos".      

Answer 3

For those that just HAVE to believe in ETs, they have something special in store for you. Google/youtube: "Project Bluebeam"

Type III 'aliens' and fake 'messiahs' just in time for 2012! Many will be fooled...

Later, ask yourself how we knew this in advance:

2 Thessalonians 2:10-13

Question is will you fall for it?

Answer 4

The presence of life on Mars would have no religious impact other than, perhaps, to encourage the pious to give prayers of praise.

Chances are slim to none to verify life on another planet. However, the discovery of a planet with an atmosphere high in oxygen would very likely be full confirmation. Oxygen is just too reactive to exist over geological time without life.

The phoenix lander has no way of identifying life --unless it crawls into camera range :) . The current lander is designed to identify structures, compounds, gases and the like which might *support* life, that are *needed* as far as we know for life to exist.

HTH

Charles

Answer 5

No, NASA would not hide that information, they would be way too excited to do so.

As far a effecting how religious people think, of course! some might second guess themselves, others might try to meld it into their beliefs.

Answer 6

Not all religious people are bothered by the thought of life outside of Earth.  Conversely, not all non-religious people are comfortable with the idea either.  Our fiction is filled with stories of extraterrestrial life.  Clearly it's an idea that our species is comfortable with at least on some level.

It is highly doubtful that NASA is hiding knowledge of extraterrestrial life.  One of their missions is to search for such life; it stands to reason they would be excited to report that part of their mission fulfilled.  The notion that some powerful agency (if not NASA then someone else) is hiding all that evidence is generally proposed only by people who already believe aliens are visiting Earth, and need some excuse for why there's no evidence of that visitation.

Answer 7

Earth's water contain life because life found a way of going everywhere there is water.

The same may not be true for Mars; if there is no life on Mars, then its water would simply be empty of it.

Lets assume for a second that there is life on Mars. What form would it have? You don't know. I don't know. NASA does not know. No one knows. It could be similar to some life forms found on Earth, or could be totally different. Then how does one design and calibrate instruments to determine if some strange thing is alive or not? I don't know, you don't know, NASA does not know, no one knows.

Therefore, whatever probes are on Mars could miss a lot of things, the only thing that we'd know for sure is that if those probes discover life, it is because there is life. If they don't find anything, it is not a proof that there is no life.

Since the Phoenix probe that is presently on Mars (and found that water) is an internationally designed and funded project, there is no way NASA could withhold any discovery from those other nations. And I do not believe that NASA has any right to, or is acting on any directive that requires it to withhold information anyway.

As for the effect an eventual discovery of extra-terrestrial life could have on religious fundamentalists, it is the religious people's to worry about. Personally, I do not care what they may think or do about this. If there is life, that is it, denying it won't change anything, hiding it would only delay it until some other mission gets there.

The fact you don't know if there is life on Mars comes from the fact that no one knows yet if there is or ever was life on Mars.

Answer 8

NASA would shout that info from the mountaintop.

Life on Mars would have no effect on religious people.  And it shouldn't.  I'm not a religious fellow myself but if I were, that would mean nothing to me.  Microbes on another planet doesn't change the minds of people of faith.

If there is life on another planet in our solar system we will likely find it within the next 100 years.  Life on planets outside our solar system would have to be intelligent life or we will never know.  They would need to broadcast a radio signal or some other type of signal, which obviously requires intelligence.  I think its just a matter of time.

Check out SETI Radio, they have a weekly radio show called "Are We Alone"  That talks about these things and the science that is currently happening on the topic.  And the show is funny and entertaining to listen.

http://radio.seti.org/

The host is Seth Shawstak who is an astrobiologist and recently a guest on Larry King Live on CNN.

Also, watch the movie "Contact" which deals with both discovery of life elsewhere in the galaxy and also religion.

Answer 9

No. The Bible says nothing about life elsewhere. Trust me, if NASA finds life, you will hear about it!

Answer 10

First, NASA would not withhold any info regarding life on Mars. It is its prime purpose.

As for religion, I don't think it would have any bearing on those beliefs. After all, there are some who still insist that the Earth is the center of the universe, or even that the Earth is flat. So, if life is found elsewhere, it will not change much in terms of mainstream religious views.

Some may attribute it to a trick of "Satan", others may call it an outright lie, and yet some will say it is proof of god's power...and as for Y/A, there will be some muslims who will post that alla predicted life would be found on Mars.

Answer 11

It would affect some and not others, you will get extreme reaction from each end of the spectrum of "Wow, that is cool, can we talk to them?" to "Oh no!  The world is going to end!  We're going to die!"

Depends on the religion, too.  If your religion is built around the decree that there is no other life anywhere else, it will cause a lot of problems for those in charge in that religion.

Look at the problems when two opposing religious groups get together?  For example, Microsoft and Apple people?

Answer 12

Water on Earth has life in it, because life exists on Earth.

But the existence of water does not automatically equal life.

There could be life on Mars, but Phoenix wasn't set up to search for life it was set up to search for water.

Water (or in the case of Mars water ice below the surface) is just the start - since life as we know it requires water, finding water on other worlds means that life is possible, but it doesn't mean that life has to exist there.

NASA is only one agency involved in Mars exploration (along with other countries and ESA), so if life had been found on Mars NASA doesn't have the power to suppress that news.