In a forward-looking article, George Church, Ph.D., from Harvard University and the Wyss Institute, proposes the use of picogram to nanogram-scale probes that can land, replicate, and produce a communications module at the destination to explore nearby stars. The new article is published in a special issue on "Interstellar Objects in Astrobiology" of Astrobiology.

"One design is a highly reflective light sail, traveling a long straight line toward the gravitational well of a destination star, and the photo-deflected to the closest non-luminous mass—ideally a planet or moon with exposed liquid water," states Dr. Church.

"Most living cells on Earth are picogram-scale and yet perform functions, such as replication from only simple chemical inputs, impossible for all current human-made machines," notes Dr. Church. He considers factors such as acceleration and deceleration, and how to build communications devices using some form of electromagnetic radiation. Environments suitable for microbial replication require appropriate temperature, chemicals, and energy sources.

"Clearly, a considerable amount of work remains for improving the theory, design, and testing aspects of this proposal, some of which can be done on Earth or within our home solar system," concludes Dr.

Getting a spacecraft to the moon or Mars is quite literally rocket science. While rocket science helps deliver the spacecraft to the moon, other areas of science are needed to sustain life and enable activities during trips to the moon and while on the lunar surface.

NASA's Lunar Flashlight has communicated with mission controllers and confirmed it is healthy after launching Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2:38 a.m. EST (Saturday, Dec. 10, at 11:38 p.m. PST) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. About 53 minutes after launch, the small satellite, or SmallSat, was released from its dispenser to begin a four-month journey to the moon to seek out surface water ice in permanently shadowed craters at the lunar South Pole.