Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
On Christmas, the world’s most powerful space telescope blasted off into orbit, headed for a distant horizon some 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth. The James Webb Space Telescope will soon begin delving into the mysteries of the universe, observing all of the cosmos – from planets to stars to nebulae to galaxies and beyond.
And quite naturally, one of the many view this as a way to decisively settle all debate about the existence of alien life. But are human beings ready to meet aliens?
According to recent reports, NASA has already taken preemptive steps to bridge the gap, working with theologians to understand how people would react to news about intelligent life existing beyond earth. According to a report by Times UK, a priest has been helping the space organisation understand how the discovery of extraterrestrials would affect people. Reverend Dr Andrew Davison is one of 24 theologians who are part of a Nasa-sponsored programme at the Center for Theological Inquiry (CTI) to assess how different religions would react to the news.
“Religious traditions would be an important feature in how humanity would work through any such confirmation of life elsewhere. Because of that, it features as part of NASA’s ongoing aim to support work on ‘the societal implications of astrobiology’, working with various partner organisations, including the Center of Theological Inquiry at Princeton,” Davison writes on the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Divinity blog.
While no evidence has yet been found, NASA (and others) insists that it is “possible and indeed probable” that there exists life beyond earth. Over the last few decades, it adds, astrobiologists have “uncovered a myriad of clues” to answer questions about extraterrestrial life.
The Webb telescope might incidentally help shorten and simplify the search. Quoting excerpts from remarks made by officials associated with the project, many online are now convinced that it is (at least in part) an ‘alien detector’. “It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System,” reads an excerpt from the NASA website.
