article_snippet.sent: There at least 200 billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy – and now Nasa officials claim our could be on the verge of finding life on one of Nasa officials.
article_snippet.sent: During a talk in Washington earlier this month, the space agency announced that humanity is likely to encounter extra-terrestrials within a decade. '
article_snippet.sent: I believe we are going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth in the next decade and definitive evidence in the next 10 to 20 years,' Ellen Stofan, chief scientist for Nasa, said. '
article_snippet.sent: We know where to look, We know how to look, and in most cases We have the technology.'
article_snippet.sent: Jeffery Newmark, interim director of heliophysics at the space agency, added: 'It's definitely not an if, it's a when.' '
article_snippet.sent: The announcement has been prompted by the recent discovery of water by Nasa in surprising places.
article_snippet.sent: Jim Green, director of planetary science at Nasa, noted that a recent study of the Martian atmosphere found 50 per cent of the planet's northern hemisphere once had oceans a mile deep.
article_snippet.sent: The Webb is quite big enough to have a high probability of finding bio signatures in the atmosphere of exoplanets, evidence of life,' Greenhouse said. '
article_snippet.sent: We can make big progress in the search for life.'
article_snippet.sent: Just as Hubble rewrote all the textbooks, Webb will rewrite the telescope again,' said Greenhouse.