MVP ARCHIVE NASA | SEARCH FOR LIFE Phase 01-01: Search for Life / Why Does Humanity Search for Life?

Why does humanity search for life?

We have not yet found evidence of life existing outside of Earth.
Nevertheless, humanity has been searching for traces of life for over half a century.

We have sent probes to Mars, investigated the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, observed the atmospheres of distant planets, and even examined the possibility of artificial radio signals reaching us from space.
Why do we continue to search for life so persistently?

If life exists outside of Earth

The reason is not just simple curiosity.
If life exists outside of Earth, it increases the likelihood that life is not a special occurrence in the universe, but a phenomenon that arises quite naturally.

On the other hand, if we search as much as we can and find nothing, it may be that extremely limited conditions are required for the birth of life.

In other words, the search for life is not just a study of the question, "Is there life in the universe?" but also a challenge to the fundamental question, "What is life?"
NASA has been advancing the search for life through various methods to answer this question.

Viking Program

In 1976, the Viking program conducted the world's first full-scale experiment to directly analyze Martian soil and investigate the presence of biological activity.
Mars exploration has continued since then, and we are currently investigating in detail whether the environment was capable of supporting life in the past.

Additionally, Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus are thought to have vast liquid oceans beneath their ice, and they are attracting attention as strong candidates for extraterrestrial life exploration.

Astrobiology

Furthermore, NASA is advancing research in astrobiology while also supporting SETI research, which explores communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, continuing to investigate the phenomenon of life from multiple perspectives.

At present, humanity has not discovered extraterrestrial life.

However, the fact that it has "not been found" is also an important observation result for understanding the rarity of life and the cosmic environment.

Search for Life is not a single exploration project.
It is the longest and most magnificent scientific exploration in which humanity continues to challenge the question, "Are we alone in the universe?"