How Does Life Begin and Develop?
Objective
1
Sources of 0rganics on Earth
Objective
2
Origin of Life's Cellular Components
Objective
4
Genomic Clues to Evolution
Objective
5
Linking Planetary and Biological Evolution
Does Life Exist Elsewhere in the Universe?
Objective
7
The Extremes of Life
Objective
8
Past and Present Life on Mars
Objective
9
Life's Precursors and Habitats in the Outer Solar System
Objective
10
Natural Migration of Life
Objective
11
Origin of Habitable Planets
Objective
12
Effects of Climate and Geology on Habitability
Objective
13
Extrasolar Biomarkers
What is Life's Future on Earth
and Beyond?
Objective
14
Ecosystem Response to Rapid Environmental Change
Objective
15
Earth's Future Habitability
Objective
16
Bringing Life with Us beyond Earth
Objective
17
Planetary Protection
Question:
What is Life's Future on Earth and Beyond?
Bringing
Life with Us beyond Earth
Objective 16: Understand the human-directed processes by which life can migrate from one world to another.
For the first time in human history, we can intentionally move life beyond our home planet. As a result, humanity is entering a new evolutionary territory -- space -- in a manner analogous to the first sea creature crawling out onto the land, with the attendant requirement for supporting technology. This time, however, we are able to document this evolutionary trajectory with the tools of modern molecular biology and to engineer artificial ecologies that may be necessary for evolutionary success in this new environment. Two factors must converge to enable the successful evolution of terrestrial life beyond Earth. First, we must understand and provide the physiological requirements for reproduction in space for a wide range of organisms. Second, we must engineer the artificial ecosystems that would promote survival and evolutionary success beyond Earth. The results derived from addressing this objective will answer a fundamental question about life in the universe generally and the nature of life on Earth specifically. Is life purely a planetary phenomenon or is life able to expand its evolutionary trajectory beyond its home planet?
Implementation
Near- to mid-term:
- Use low earth orbit opportunities
as a testbed for studying evolution and ecological interactions in the
space environment (microgravity and/or high radiation) of organisms
from simple to complex, including "wild" biota indigenous to the spacecraft,
and determine how to promote evolutionary success. Extend these investigations
to other planetary bodies in concert with human exploration of the solar
system.
- Identify adaptive mechanisms
for responses to changes in gravity, radiation, pressure, temperature,
and atmospheric components on a variety of organisms and ecosystems;
identify the biological responses of these organisms and ecosystems
to the space station environment or the environment on other planets.
- Establish environmental limits
for terrestrial life, especially those that have the potential to survive
without protection or with minimal protection on other worlds.
- Elucidate the characteristics
of environments necessary to sustain life in space and beyond including
higher plants and animals as part of a sustained regenerative ecology
and indigenous resources in extraterrestrial environments.
- Conduct multiple generation
studies of multicellular organisms on the Space Station to determine
if complex life can evolve beyond Earth.
- Engineer closed and open environments as prototypes for human exploration of other planets. Test such system in analog environments on Earth and in space.
Future extensions:
- Place candidate ecosystems
on extraterrestrial surfaces and document their evolution.
- Establish permanent colonies
of humans and other organisms in space and on another planetary surface.
- Engineer life for survival, adaptation, and evolution beyond Earth.