Infrared - Your guide to Infrared and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny of life in the universe. The field uses many scientific disciplines and spectrometric technologies to address these important issues. While questions about life in the universe have existed as long as man has looked up at the stars, advances in science and spectrometry in the past few decades make it possible for us to begin to find answers to such questions. Using imaging and spectrometric techniques, more planets have been discovered outside our solar system than exist in it. There are now more than 50 planets known to exist beyond our solar system (1,2). More stars are known to have planetary systems than are known to lack them. This observation, coupled with the fact that life has been found to exist on earth under conditions and in places previously thought impossible, suggests that life in some form may exist on other planets. For example, life has been discovered deep in the ocean around hydrothermal vents, where conditions may resemble those on Europa, a moon of Jupiter (3). The discovery of life on Europa or Mars would increase the importance of the search for Earth-like planets orbiting the other 100 billion or more stars in our galaxy (4), and even the search for extraterrestrial civilizations.