Why is life only possible on Earth?

Life is only found on Earth for a couple of reasons.We know that life
requires sun, moderate temperatures, water, and certain chemical elements
like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. No other planet has temperatures like
Earth that are not too hot and not too cold. Also, no other planet has water
like Earth has. Scientists have found that other planets have ice but no
liquid water. Finally, Earth has the right mix of chemicals that are required
for life.

Actually there's something called the "habitable zone" or "Goldilocks Zone".

It's a zone that every star has, and in it, provided water on the object (let's
call it X object for the sake of comfort), the conditions (temperature from
the star radiation, etc.) will be just perfect for life on X to start.

Earth is not the only planet that has life. there are other planets that people
have discovered that is the right distance from their star and has oxygen.
earth is the only planet that has been proved to have life. the others can
hold life we just cant prove they actually have life. Some planets like Pluto
have ice and water, their just to far from the sun to have life. some planets
have oxygen in their atmosphere but their too close to their sun to provide.

Lets take examples from our very own solar sytem. There may be life on
Mars. We don't yet know for certain that there isn't. Right now, life as we
know it would not survive anywhere except Earth or Mars, and possibly
Europa (in our solar system). Life requires liquid water. Europa (one of
Jupiters moons) has a muck of mud some hundreds of kilometers below the
ice that has water in it, and there might be life there. Equatorial regions of
Mars get above freezing for parts of the year, and while the Martian
atmosphere is too thin to sustain liquid water on the surface, the pressure is
great enough underground, and muddy slurries of landslides from
subsurface water have been observed. Earth of course has oceans of the
stuff. It all has to do with pressure and temperature for water. Now,
whether there is life there or not, that we aren't sure of.

I believe that we cannot be the only planet in the Universe that has life,
because there is a billion billion galaxy in the Universe, each containing a
hundred million billion stars with hundred million billion habitable zones
and a gazillion objects in the habitable zone; Who are we to say that none
of them contain water AND life?

15 “Goldilocks" Factors That Allow Life on

Earth to Exist
There's more to life on earth than its ability to sustain liquid water.
Earth is often referred to as a Goldilocks planet. This has traditionally been connected
to Earth's proximity to the sun allowing liquid water to exist on its surface. In fact, that
assumption and some others led to something called theDrake Equation developed in
Greenbank, West Virginia in 1961. It was a complex equation that calculated the
number of planets in orbit around a star at the ideal distance for the sustained
existence of intelligent life. The number of planets postulated based from the Drake
Equation were 1000 to 100,000,000 in the Milky Way galaxy. More recent data from
Kepler has put the estimate to around 12-17 billion Earth like planets in the Milky Way.

It may be true that billions of planets or more are in this "Goldilocks" orbit but what
kind of life are we talking about and how are we defining intelligence? Bacterial, single-
celled organisms or complex and diverse organisms with cognitive intelligence? In
order for an advanced species to evolve and emerge as an intelligent, cognitive being
such as humans - numerous other Goldilocks factors need to occur. It's not just about
the water. Fortunately for us, we have that advantage. Here are the top 15 Goldilocks
factors that make life on Earth as we know it possible.
Image by Nasa.gov

1. Proximity to the Sun allowing liquid water.

This is essentially the greens-fee for any form of life in the universe. Yes, it's possible
that life can exist without water but those ideas are purely theoretical and no empirical
evidence exists to support the assumption.

2. The size and composition of Earth as a Rocky Planet

Given some recent studies of distant stars and the on-going discovery of exoplanets,
many planets in the universe appear to be gas-giants similar to Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus
and Neptune. While there are also theories to imagine life on gas planets, the current
science indicates that a rocky planet offers the best foundation for life and especially
the diversity of life.

3. Stability of Earth's atmosphere and chemical

composition.

An atmosphere appears to be critical to life whether it be a gaseous atmosphere on the

surface of the planet, or a saturated atmosphere such as the Earth's oceans, seas, lakes
and rivers. The chemical composition and density is also important. Mars has a very
thin atmosphere and the ability of an organism to derive sustenance from the scant
molecules is one of the factors that makes abundant life on Mars problematic. Not so
on earth. Our atmosphere is rich in Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen and other
compounds that create a benign atmospheric combination.

4. The Magnetosphere.
Image by NASA
The fact that Earth has a metallic, molten core creates a magnetic field around the
planet called the Magnetosphere. This invisible "gravity shield" deflects radiation
from the sun and space and protects organisms on the planet from the solar wind. Mars
was once a highly volcanic planet (an indication of a molten core), but its volcanoes
have long-since become dormant and it appears to have a very weak and fluctuating
Magnetosphere. This may be why its atmosphere is virtually non-existent. The solar
wind simply stripped it away without the protection of a strong and steady
Magnetosphere.

5. Consistency of temperatures on Earth.

The average temperature on Venus is 462°C (864°F). On Mars it’s -60°C. (-80°F).
Earth's temperature average is 15°C. (59°F). The average temperature on Earth not
only allows liquid water to exist, but also provides a relatively stable environment for
organisms. Temperature extremes limit diversity of biological life forms, and while
some bacteria can survive extremes, advanced organisms typically are too complex to
endure the extremes.

6. Diversity of Life.
Copyright (c) 2004 Richard Ling
The Diversity of life on Earth has two unique advantages. For one it creates a food-
chain that can sustain a variety of species allowing for greater evolutionary
development. This is important given the statistical inevitability of catastrophic events
on any planet. In fact, the diversity of life on Earth may be the only reason life on Earth
has continued after the extinction of 65% of all species including the dinosaurs 65
million years ago due to an asteroid impact, and nearly 95% of all species 250 million
years ago due to a massive series of volcanic eruptions across what is now Siberia.

7. Earth's moon.

Our moon has a remarkable, stabilizing affect on our planet. Without the moon, the
rotation of the Earth would result in a day that averages about 4 hours. The moon has
slowed us down to a comfortable 24 hours and has also stabilized Earth's rotation on its
axis. The moon also creates tides which is believed to have created an evolution
machine in the tide-pools and tidal-zone between land and sea. This repeated tidal
action is thought to have encouraged evolution as animals on the shore slowly became
accustomed to a daily land and sea environment allowing them ultimately emerge onto
the land.
8. Stability of the Sun as a star.

Our sun is actually a very average star in terms of size and activity. That's a good
thing. That means the radiant heat and radiation is typically consistent although
occasional solar flares do show up to send out bursts of radiation. Fortunately we have
survived those rare bursts for thousands of years. Our sun is also a solitary star. It's
believed that 85% of stars in the Milky Way are binary stars. It's interesting to think
about two stars orbiting each other, but for planets in a solar system the gravitational
forces would wreck havoc on the planets and probably cast asteroids and comets
around like shot from a shotgun.

9. The Ozone Layer.

Image by NASA
We hear about the Ozone layer all the time. In fact, we now know there are recurring
holes in the Ozone at the north and south poles. Ozone is much like the
Magnetosphere. It's another buffer against solar radiation especially Ultra-violet (UV)
radiation and is another result of our dense and complex atmosphere. Even though
many planets may have a robust and dense atmosphere, the existence of an Ozone
layer and the function it performs as a radiation shield is most likely rare and unique.
10. The amount of water on earth.

Water on a planet is a great way to give life a head start. But you need more than a
puddle. Some theories postulate that the water on earth was largely due to icy,
comet collisions during the late heavy-bombardment 3.3 to 4.5 million years ago. The
result was essentially a water planet with less land than sea. If water is the wellspring
of life, Earth has more than enough.

11. Jupiter as a Solar System vacuum cleaner for asteroids,

comets, and meteors.

Astronomers watched in amazement as the comet Shoemaker-Levy broke into 9 pieces

and slammed into Jupiter in 1994. The impact on the planet was frightening and a
reminder of Jupiter's value in our Solar System. In many respects, its immense
gravitational field acts like a system wide vacuum cleaner attracting rogue asteroids,
comets and meteors to its surface and away from other planets including Earth.

12. The stability of the solar system.

3.3 to 4.5 millions years ago, our Solar System was a highly unstable environment. The
orbits of the gas giants on the outer rim of our Solar System were closer and not as
concentric resulting in a maelstrom of rocky debris and icy comets in constant collision
across the planets. Any life at that time didn't stand a chance beyond the most resilient
and buried bacteria. No doubt, there are millions and millions of solar systems enduring
the same. Fortunately, our Solar System is relatively stabilized in terms of planetary
orbits.

13. Our location in the Milky Way Galaxy

The galactic habitable zone. Image by NASA
Our location in the Galaxy is at the edge of a spiral arm called the Orion Arm, and is
about two-thirds of the way from the center of our galaxy to the edge of the starlight.
That's a very good place to be. Stars and systems closer to the center of the Milky Way
are in a very crowded neighbourhood where collisions with celestial bodies and high
radiation exposure is statistically higher. There's also the affect of that super-massive
black hole at the center of our galaxy. Our location is a very good one that once again
provides relative stability and safety.

14. The Stability of the Galaxy.

Yes, galaxies matter too. Many galaxies are in collision. In fact, the Milky Way galaxy is
on a collision course with the much larger Andromeda galaxy in about 3 billion years.
The Milky Way galaxy is also rather small compared to some of the giants that occupy
the universe. This too could decrease the odds of dramatic and cataclysmic events that
might take place in a dense, massive galaxy.

15. The Stability of our Quantum Universe

 No one thinks about this much, but there is a theory that parallel universes exist. There
are 4 levels of parallel universe and some of them would result in very strange places
indeed. Our quantum universe seems apparently stable with firm laws of motion,
energy, matter and gravity consistently applied across the universe. It may seem far-
fetched but in addition to every other factor we may also be living in a Goldilocks
universe.
Now have a look at what happens when things aren’t so serene. Here is the Top 5 Best
and Most Interesting Exoplanets.

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System

(IRNSS)
The IRNSS satellite is used of the improved navigation system for the users and has been developed
by India only. The satellite was launched on 04/04/2014 from the Sriharikota Space Station, India.

The important applications the IRNSS are as follows.

 Information about timing, disasters, vehicle tracking and fleets.

 Navigation for hikers, travelers and marines.
 Smartphone integration and mapping of terrains.
 Audio and video navigation for the drivers.

The Mangalyaan
It is most anticipated program of the Indian space department and first of its kind by and Asian
country. The Mars orbiter mission was launched on the 05/11/2013 with the following aims to be
completed.
 Observation of Mars terrain.
 Seeking the availability of water and life.
 Providing the information about the atmosphere.
 Sending the photos and other data about the Mars structure and environment.

INSAT – 3D
The INSAT – 3D is a next generation weather satellite from the ISRO which was launched on
26/07/2013 with the below ambitions.

 Improved meteorological information.

 Keeping an eye on the land and water surfaces.
 Monitoring the changes in the atmosphere’s temperature, humidity, pressure and
other aspects of the enhanced forecast.

Satellite with Argos and Altika (SARAL)

The SARAL satellite is a joint venture of Indian and French government, which was launched on the
25/02/2013 to fulfill the following needs of the two nations.

 Detailed ocean studies.

 Performing altimetric activities for the water circulation in the oceans.
 To measure the activities regarding the ocean and sea surface elevation.

RISAT – 1
The RISAT – 1 one of the radar satellite, which was launched on the 26/04/2012 to complete the
below things.

 To improve the remote sensing.

 To improve the image of the earth’s surface during the whole day.
 To improve the working of remote sensing under all weather conditions.

Jugnu
The Jugnu nano satellite was developed by the IIT, Kanpur with the help of ISRO and get launched
on 12/10/2011 to provide the below facilities.

 To test image processing algorithms.

 To develop the camera system for clicking the earth and IR region.
 To calculate the use of GPS on the behalf of users.
 To develop the inertial measurement unit system in space.

SRMSat
The SRMSat is also a kind of nano satellite which also gets launched on the same date as of Jugnu,
that is, 12/10/2011 for the following purposes.

 To let the government know about the global warming and pollution of the
atmosphere.
 Monitoring the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O) in the
environment.
 Observing the absorption of the spectrum between the ranges of 900nm-1700nm
IR.

Megha-Tropiques
Mega-Tropiques is also an Indo-French joint program which gets launched on the 12/10/2011 to
study the following the phenomenon for the two nations.

 Water and Energy cycles in tropical regions.

 Deep study of the properties which affects the tropical weather.
 Observation of tropical weather over the change in energy and moisture in the
atmosphere.
 Study of condensed clouds and water vapor, evaporation, precipitation and others.

YOUTHSAT
The Indo – Russian program for the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students of the both
countries was launched on the 20/04/2011 with the following mission.
 Investigation of the composition of the upper surface of the earth.
 Experimentation regarding the energy of the earth’s crust.
 To understand the dynamics of the earth surface.

RESOURCESAT – 2
The RESOURCESAT – 2 is the successor if the first mission and is a remote sensing satellite which
was launched on the 20/04/2011 with the following tasks.

 Provide details about the multispectral and spatial coverage.

 It is intended to enhance the remote sensing.
 It has improved the spectral swath from 23 KM to 70 KM.
The Indian space mission has seen the high improvements which meet the world-class level and
criteria. The satellites have produced the world-class information and data for the Indian
governments to contribute to the world space programs.