| Astronomy Talk – No one knows if our solar system, with a planet possessing the necessary ingredients for life within our Sun’s habitable zone, is a cosmic rarity. Nor do we know whether the gas giants in our solar system played a role in helping to deliver the essential materials for life to the habitable zone. The answers to these questions are contained in ices found in small bodies (comets and asteroids) mostly unchanged since the formation the solar system. Their compositions provide a fossilized record of the chemical make-up of our planetary system during its origin. The most likely source of Earth’s water may have come from the outer solar system. This talk will explore what we know about the origin of Earth’s water, and the new ideas for space missions that could help solve this question. |
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