Concepts for Detection of Extraterrestrial Life (NASA SP-56)

Quimby, Dr. Freeman (edited by); Carl Sagan (contributor)

Verlag: Scientific and Technical Information Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C., 1964

A seminal NASA report outlining the first concrete scientific strategies for detecting life on other planets, primarily Mars. This volume marks the transition of "alien hunting" from science fiction to a disciplined branch of government-funded science. It details proposed experiments such as the "Wolf Trap" and "Gulliver," which utilized radioactive isotopes and pH monitoring to identify microbial metabolism. Notably, it contains an early chapter by a young Carl Sagan, who argues for the biological interpretation of Martian seasonal changes. Before the 1960s, the search for life beyond Earth was largely relegated to astronomy or speculative fiction. NASA SP-56 was the government s declaration that exobiology was a "legitimate and necessary experiment". It established the "Unity of Biochemistry" as a guiding principle the idea that if life exists elsewhere, it likely follows the same chemical laws as life on Earth. The experiments described in this book specifically "Gulliver" (designed by Gilbert Levin) and the "Wolf Trap" were the direct technological ancestors of the biology suite launched on the Viking Landers in 1976. It represents the "blueprints" for the first time humanity reached out to touch the soil of another world to see if it was alive. The book is historically significant for highlighting the urgent need for Planetary Quarantine. Quimby and his peers realized that if we sent unsterilized probes to Mars, we might accidentally seed the planet with Earth bacteria, "erasing" any indigenous life before we could even find it. This led to the rigorous sterilization protocols still used by NASA today. Stapled wrappers, vii, 53 pp., illustrated. Some grazing evident to the front cover and along the lower fore edge, otherwise clean and unmarked. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 14682

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Concepts for Detection of Extraterrestrial ...
Verlag: Scientific and Technical Information Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C.
Erscheinungsdatum: 1964
Einband: Softcover