From The Toronto Sun
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shot down claims from hacker cabal Anonymous last week that the space agency is on the brink of revealing an earth-shattering discovery.Read more: http://www.torontosun.com/2017/06/26/anonymous-believes-nasa-is-close-to-discovering-alien-lifeA video was posted to “Anonymous Global”, a YouTube channel believed to be associated with the renowned hacker collective, the group had claimed NASA was plotting a momentous announcement.
Not so, NASA told Postmedia this week. It will, however, continue looking.
“While we're excited about the latest findings from NASA's Kepler space observatory, there's no pending announcement regarding extraterrestrial life,” a spokesperson told Postmedia in an email.
“For years NASA has expressed interest in searching for signs of life beyond Earth. We have a number of science missions that are moving forward with the goal of seeking signs of past and present life on Mars and ocean worlds in the outer solar system.
“While we do not yet have answers, we will continue to work to address the fundamental question, 'are we alone?'"
Eyebrows were raised last week when Anonymous released a 12-minute clip referencing three articles from conspiracy website Ancient-Code.com.
Anonymous quotes Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
“Our civilization is on the verge of discovering alien life in the cosmos. Taking in account all of the different activities and missions that are specifically searching for evidence of alien life, we are on the verge of making one of the most profound, unprecedented discoveries in history,” Dr. Zurbuchen said in April during a congressional hearing speech called Advances in the Search for Life.
Zurbuchen’s speech referenced humanity’s enhanced ability to search for new life forms, yet Anonymous interpreted it as evidence that "something is going on in the skies above".
Recent celestial discoveries have increased the likelihood of making an initial discovery of alien species. Scientists announced in April that hydrogen was discovered on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, which would bolster the likelihood of microbial life being present.
Additionally, NASA scientists revealed there may be 4,034 potential planets in our galaxy, with over 2,300 confirmed thus far. At least 30 of those planets are within the “Goldilocks Zone” of their star, which is believed to be instrumental towards producing life.
Earlier this year NASA also discovered TRAPPIST-1, a solar system 39 light years away that has seven planets resembling Earth that orbit its star. That finding bolsters the chance of planets with conditions that promote life.
“Its (TRAPPIST-1) discovery tells us that there is plenty of planet-making material in our little corner of the solar system, indicating that finding Earth-like planets may actually be closer to us than we originally thought,” Dr. Zurbuchen added.
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