Astronaut Matthias Maurer believes in life in space

DrHe is the astronaut who returned from the International Space Station in May Matthew Maurer It assumes the existence of extraterrestrials. “If you think about how many billions of galaxies there are and how many billions of solar systems are in each galaxy, the probability of a similar solar system to ours with another planet is much higher than winning the lottery.” The 52-year-old from the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung on Friday.

Even if most people never win the lottery in their lifetime, this equation clearly speaks of the existence of extraterrestrial life. “Someone on this earth always wins something like this. To me, that means: there is probably life out there.”

How this developed and whether it depends on organic chemistry just as much as human life, he does not know. “Or perhaps there is another kind of chemistry that is not based on carbon,” Maurer added. One thing is for sure: they won’t be “green men,” as has often been seen in science fiction movies.

Maurer was a member of the ESA astronaut team in the fall of 2021 IS We broke up. The materials researcher, who has a Ph.D., wants to continue scientific research in space about how life appeared on Earth. The European Space Agency hopes this will also give clues about whether there is life elsewhere in the universe.