Life On Other Planets

[Dr. Shane]

As we learn more and more about other planets and the moons that orbit them it appears that life once existed on them. Or at least conditions that could support life. I have often thought that God created each planet for a reason and many of them did support life.

So could a planet have a lifespan even within the perfect creation of God? Did the life on these planets leave? Did sin on the earth impact the other planets in our solar system?

[Pockey]

Are you talking about just our solar system? If so, I don't think there ever was life on those planets. There's probably a google of planets in the universe and our solar system is just one block on a cul-de-sac in the galaxy. I'm not sure what the function of these planets are, but probably most of them are vacant. But the good news is, we'll find out the answers to your questions soon!

[Dr. Shane]

Does it look like there was once life on Mars?

[archierieus]

Nonsense. The Panspermians as well as the Darwinians vainly search for such clues. Their efforts are an example of deductive reasoning--when they examine data, they already have put on glasses with the tint according to their pet theories!

Dave

[GreatLakesGramma]

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Sid said:

I'm not sure what the function of these planets are....

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I remember hearing, years ago, I no longer remember when or where, that the gravitational interaction of all the planets in the solar system are necessary to keep earth in its proper orbit.

[Bravus]

If there is/was life on the othre planets in our solar system it would have to be quite different to life on earth, because they each have dramatically different climates and atmospheres, and virtually no liquid water at the surface - something that's essential for life as we know it. Life can even get by without sunlight, but not without water. Those moons with liquid water under a crust of ice could potentially be sites for life... and God could as easily have created the perfect kind of life to live under those conditions on those moons.

I think it's much more likely that, if there's life on other planets, it's on planets that are 'earth-like' in terms of their orbital patterns and distance from similar kinds of suns... as Sid noted, there are many many of these (note my caution in not putting a number there!)

It ends up coming down to speculation, either way... so I don't think there's a right or wrong answer (well, except that God knows), just a fun conversation!

[olger]

I thought we already accepted that there is life on other worlds.

olger

[Dr. Shane]

I thought that Mars was once a plush, green planet with rivers and waterfalls and an atmosphere until the devil introduced the SUV to them. Then they destroyed their atmosphere and the ultraviolet rays burned everything out of existance and it stands as an example to us what will happen if we don't all drive Volkswagons.

[Neil D]

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until the devil introduced the SUV to them. Then they destroyed their atmosphere and the ultraviolet rays burned everything out of existance and it stands as an example to us what will happen if we don't all drive Volkswagons.

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Let me guess...the reason that the red planet is red, is because all those SUVs rusted out and created rusted iron filings all over the planet...

Right...sounds logical to me...

[bevin]

We know, from earth, that life can exist in very extreme temperatures and pressures. So far the search on other solar system planets hasn't turned up any proof.

Whether or not there were other planets, the earth's orbit would be basically the same. Almost any set of sizes and distances - provided not too extreme - is as stable as ours.

/Bevin

[cricket]

Aren't we rather limited in saying that life cannot exist without water? Who's to say that our definition of life is the only feasible one?

[Dr. Shane]

Now someone is thinking outside the box.

[Bravus]

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If there is/was life on the other planets in our solar system it would have to be quite different to life on earth, because they each have dramatically different climates and atmospheres

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I maybe didn't make it explicit enough, but I definitely left the door wide open for very different forms of life in my comments.

[Nicodema]

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Cricket said:

Aren't we rather limited in saying that life cannot exist without water? Who's to say that our definition of life is the only feasible one?

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Yeh! All hail silicon life forms!!!

[CyberGuy]

Within our solar system there is a life bearing zone. That zone is a zone where water can exist in liquid form. To close to the sun and water will evaporate. To far away and water will exist only as ice. That zone is about 1 million miles wide in our solar system and earth is right in the middle of that zone. Water does exist on Europa a moon of Jupiter. It has an ocean of ice five miles thick and water does exist below that information sent back by robotic probes sent into the Jupiter system. Water exist elsewhere as well on one of the moons of Saturn but still only in ice form. Far to cold for life to exist as we know it.

No life only exists on planet earth in this solar system. I am sure there is life in other solar systems but they are far to far away to reach with our current technology.

The nearest star like our sun is 4.3 light years away. That is the distance light travels which is 183200 miles per second. Our current space probes travel about 30,000 miles per hour or about six miles per second. As you can imagine it would take thousands if years to reach the nearest star and then we do not have the radio transmitter to reach earth when the probe did readh that star.

Anyway I am certain life does not exist outside Earth. If any life such as microbes do exist outside earth they came from earth.

For instance. One one of the Apollo missions to the moon they brought back some pieces of a robotic probe that landed near the apollo landings site. When they opened up the rubber seal microbes came ouzing out. They were all of earth origin but they have suvived on the moon for a few years on within the rubber sealing of that probe.

With our own robotic probes going thoughout the solar system we may deposit earth like organisms on other planets within our solar system. They may live and transform into something we do not know. I am not saying they will transform into inteligent life. NO WAY. But microbes do mutate to survive to their current environment.

[Ted Oplinger]

And that, CyberGuy, is what we call speciation: the ability of species to adapt to their local environments.

Life beyond the confines of earth? Yes, I think so. Other worlds with our problem of sin? No, I don't think so.

As the human race is not the only group of intelligent, sentient on this planet (the devil and his minions were cast to this planet as well), we must also come to grips with the fact that those who started this "sin war" against God are also created beings - yet we (usually) cannot see them, touch them, or find out what they are made of. Even with our "super-science" of today, we cannot detect them, and yet these beings have very real manifestations in this world.

Are they carbon-based forms of life, requiring air, food, and water to be sustained and live? Or perhaps they are based upon some other elemental arrangement? We don't know.

Scientists and Sci-Fi afficionados have long speculated the possibility of silicon-based life forms...as silicon and carbon share many chemical characteristics. Again, it's an unknown frontier out there.

A bit of speculation on my part - I suspect our Creator doesn't create only a couple of forms of life, and calls it quits. Like a painter or sculptor who doesn't stop with the first masterpiece, but continues to create other masterpieces, likewise I think our Creator does the same with life and living sentient beings.

Given the wide variety of unique life here on this planet, where sin has been isolated from the rest of Creation - I can hardly think what the rest of unfallen Creation must be like. It's going to blow our redeemeed and restored minds away...

Ted

[Bravus]

Good call, Ted: just look how many kinds of fish, birds and beetles he created on this little planet! I'm pretty confident that God's creative genius has been played out in other places and in other ways.