Water Discovered on Surface of Asteroids Iris and Massalia, Strengthening Case of Potential Extraterrestrial Life

Water has been discovered by scientists on the surface of asteroids "for the first time" ever, strengthening the case that there is potential extraterrestrial life in the cosmos beyond Earth. The discovery was based on data extracted from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). It is a joint project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Scientists from the non-profit organization Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in the United States used the data to detect water molecules on the surface of asteroids Iris and Massalia. The former is 199 kilometers in diameter and the latter space rock is 135 kilometers across in size. The findings are unique since there is a prevailing premise that water on asteroids orbiting around our Sun should have evaporated a long time ago.

In this case, both Iris and Massalia orbit the Sun within the asteroid belt, which is located in our Solar System between Mars and Jupiter. This is not the first time that water has been discovered outside our planet. In 2020, the SOFIA infrared telescope also detected water on the Moon. In 2015, NASA confirmed that liquid water is flowing on the surface of present-day Mars, where most of its water today takes the form of ice.

Water Exists on Asteroids

In a press release on Monday, February 12, the SWRI announced the identification of water molecules on asteroids by looking at four silicate-rich asteroids using the FORCAST instrument to separate infrared-based signatures showing signs of water. SWRI scientists observed there is molecular water on two of the space rocks mentioned earlier. They also studied other asteroids, Parthenope and Melpomene, but yields an inconclusive result.

The SWRI study on the asteroids also sheds light on the necessity for us to understand the distribution of water in our own system, according to the media release. Furthermore, the scientific team said this will help us to further understand its abundance in exoplanetary systems and determine the likelihood of extraterrestrial life.

Is There Life if There is Water?

Water is an organic compound that biologists and other scientists consider as an essential part of life, as evident on Earth. All living things, ranging from tiny cyanobacteria to giant blue whales, on our planet, need water to survive, according to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Based on previous research, life would not exist on our planet without water, meaning there is life when there is water.

The evidence water is one of the main ingredients for life to emerge and survive on Earth is also a theoretical notion used to assert the existence of other potential life, within and beyond our Solar System. With this, one of the many theories about the origin of life on Earth is that it came from space, including extraterrestrial liquid water and other necessary ingredients for life, brought by space objects after our planet formed 4.5 billion years ago.