Quoted from Live Science, every 10 years, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine advise government agencies, such as NASA and the National Science Foundation, on what research goals astronomers should prioritize in the next decade.
The advisors released their latest report and highlighted three main research priorities: to better understand the nature of black holes and neutron stars, and how galaxies form and evolve.
READ: Scientists recommend this planet was engineered for human habitation
Research is also to identify ” Earth-like world habitable” and biochemical signs of life on other planetary systems.
Caltech astrophysicist Fiona Harrison, who co-chairs the committee, said the most amazing scientific opportunity was the possibility of finding life on other planets orbiting stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
They recommend that, to find such a planet, NASA should build a telescope that is more sophisticated than the Hubble Space Telescope and equipped with infrared, optical, and ultraviolet sensors. The new telescope will cost around $11 billion and launch in the early 2040s.
“With a telescope like that, we’re going to see different little dots,” Bruce Macintosh, an astrophysicist at Stanford and a member of the committee, told The Atlantic.
Then, by analyzing the light reflected from the exoplanet, scientists can figure out the chemical composition of its atmosphere. Atmospheric proof oxygen, methane, and water can hint at the existence of life on this planet.
– .
