One-percenters are people too. It seems that the rich and famous are just as interested as everyone else in the search for aliens. In fact, one billionaire in Russia has dedicated his funds for the task.
RUSSIA SEEKS TO FIND ALIENS
Finding aliens, or any life for that matter, is not an easy task. First, you need the knowledge to even know what you’re looking for. Once you’ve obtained that, you then need the technology to aid you in your search. Then, it’s just a matter of having a little motivation and a whole lot of money. The last part is usually where most people give up, but not this fortunate individual. Thanks to Yuri Milner, an internet billionaire from Russia, SETI was gifted a handsome $100 million in funding. Since then, SETI has been making headlines with their impressive collection of space findings. Despite this success, some argue a more focused search is necessary. Is this where NASA come in?
WILL NASA HELP THE RUSSIANS FIND LIFE
The short answer is no, NASA does not seem to want to team with Russia in the search for aliens. They probably have their reasons, but it’s not something they are willing to share with anyone. Perhaps there is still a grudge from that whole Cold War thing. Europe, on the other hand, couldn’t be more willing to help their comrades in Russia. The two have joined forces last month to launch ExoMars. It’s the first European trip to the planet since 2003 and the first ever for Russia. The Mars lander will hopefully sniff out some life after its seven-month trip through space. If the results prove negative, the two will once again team up for a second launch in 2020.
SHOULD WE EVEN BE LOOKING FOR LIFE?
To many, finding aliens in space would be the ultimate human accomplishment. That being said, we’ve seen the movies and read the various books. Finding aliens may not be the joyous occasion many think it will be. Stephen Hawking has been vocal (or as vocal as he can be) in his concern for finding intelligent life. These encounters may very well become hostile. For that reason, we should proceed with caution. Fortunately, there are steps being put into place that essentially hide Earth from view. That way, we can be the ones doing the searching while hopefully protecting us from any unwanted visitors.
