Why Should We Keep Looking for Alien Life? | Paula do Vale Pereira | TEDxBocaRaton

The three main ingredients for life as we know it are liquid water, available energy, and organic chemistry elements. Outside of the Earth, places with all these ingredients are hard to reach, so humans have been developing new technologies, such as probes and spacecraft, to gather information and guide us in the search for alien life. In this intriguing talk, Paula do Vale Pereira talks about some of the technologies that get us out there, the time scales involved in this search, and key lessons we all may learn along the way. Paula do Vale Pereira is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Space Telecommunications, Astronomy, and Radiation Laboratory at MIT, where she works on developing new capabilities for space-based exploration systems. Her Ph.D. work focuses on the thermomechanical development of probes for the exploration of Ocean Worlds, such as Europa (moon of Jupiter) and Enceladus (moon of Saturn). Paula has worked on the design, manufacturing, assembly, integration, testing, and in-orbit operations of an imaging satellite currently in space, called DeMi. She is also currently leading the assembly, integration, and testing of an Earth observation CubeSat, called BeaverCube. Paula is a hands-on engineer passionate about machine shops and bringing ideas into life. An active voice in advocating for diversity, inclusion, and high-quality research advising, Paula has been involved with numerous student groups, institute-level committees, and NGOs across and outside of MIT. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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