![]() But non biotic reactions can also create some of these molecules, so a set of non equilibrium chemical abundances must be observed that can’t possibly be explained without life. For that, an important and necessary condition must be met: a clear departure from thermodynamic equilibrium, or in other words, the natural chemical balance that an atmosphere should fall into without something unusual, like life, happening. Nevertheless, the presence of such molecules in an atmosphere isn’t enough to confirm life on another planet. These dips result from molecules absorbing specific wavelengths and they are undeniable signatures of certain molecules, like in Earth’s case, Water (H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Methane(CH4), Ozone (O3) and Oxygen (O2). Life has an effect on the chemical content of a planet’s atmosphere, so when Galileo measured the Earth’s atmosphere spectrum with its near-infrared spectrometer, the data showed deep dips in what otherwise would be the smooth heat glow of the atmosphere. ![]() The probe measured the spectrum of Earth atmosphere, took pictures and looked for radio emissions during the brief flyby window of its first gravity assist maneuver. The aim of the experiment was to test if such a probe could positively detect life on a world using only data taken from space and with as few prior assumptions as possible. This experiment was successful, and abundance of life on that planet was confirmed. In 1990 an experiment conceived by Carl Sagan was performed by the Galileo Spacecraft with the purpose of detecting life on a planet, based on measurements by a space probe.
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