Extraterrestrial Life, Communication and Exploration

Cold Open: This is a declassified document from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, dated December 4, 2013. The document is titled "Astrobiology: The Search for Biosignatures in our Solar System and Beyond." It was released to the public through The Black Vault, a repository of declassified government documents, on March 1, 2015. Provenance: The document was released to the public through a Freedom of Information Act request. The Black Vault has made this document available for public review. The document's canonical PDF is available on The Black Vault's website. The Document: Page 1 of the document reads: "U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology HEARING CHARTER Astrobiology: The Search for Biosignatures in our Solar System and Beyond Wednesday, December 4, 2013 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 2318 Rayburn House Office Building Purpose The purpose of this hearing is to examine astrobiology research and the search for biosignatures in our Solar System and beyond." The hearing will include a general assessment of the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of astrobiology research, including the role astrobiology plays in formulating NASA space missions. It will also examine the techniques and capabilities necessary to determine the potential for the existence of biosignatures within our Solar System. "With the discovery of potential Earth-like planets outside of our Solar System, the hearing will also investigate what methods are being used to determine if any of these planets may harbor life," the document continues. "The hearing will explore existing and planned astrobiology research strategies and roadmaps." The document lists the witnesses who testified at the hearing, including Dr. Mary Voytek, Senior Scientist for Astrobiology in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters, Dr. Sara Seager, Professor of Physics and of Planetary Science at M.I.T., and Dr. Steven J. Dick, Baruch S. Blumberg Chair of Astrobiology, John W. Kluge Center, Library of Congress. Background: The United States pioneered the field of astrobiology, and currently leads the world in astrobiology research. Astrobiology is multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary and attracts physicists, organic chemists, biologists, geologists and astronomers, among others from around the world to the United States to conduct their research. "Astrobiologists study microbial life in underwater lakes beneath Antarctica, living organisms that can thrive in extreme temperatures at the edge of volcanic fissures on the bottom of the ocean and bacteria that live in deserts in order to better understand the varied conditions in which life might exist in the diverse environments on planetary bodies in our Solar System and beyond," the document states. Context: The document was released as part of a hearing on astrobiology research and the search for biosignatures in our Solar System and beyond. The hearing was held on December 4, 2013, and was part of a larger effort to examine the role of astrobiology in formulating NASA space missions. Outro: This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. The document is a declassified record of a hearing on astrobiology research and the search for biosignatures in our Solar System and beyond. It is available for public review on The Black Vault's website.