Leyla Ayuban and Lilee Reed

Grade: 9

School: Cranebrook High School

Topic: Ariel

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NASA should investigate Ariel because of the idea of potentially finding extra-terrestrial life, geological activity, the unique, porous surface, and the changing temperatures. These are fascinating occurrences and features that should be explored further to learn more about the moon.

Scientists and NASA should explore Ariel further because it is made up of water ice and as we know, water is the epiphany of life. This could mean that there is extra-terrestrial life out there. If they returned to Ariel, we hope that life forms will be found, not like the classic Hollywood alien (as riveting as that would be) but bacteria life instead. Scientists also believe there could be an interior ocean in the mantle of Ariel, where there could be unknown creatures lying beneath the surface. Humanity hasn’t even discovered all of the ocean life so who knows what lies inside of Ariel’s.

Furthermore, recent geological activity in the tectonic plates has been identified which means the moon is still active. Scientists can gain more knowledge about space and the moon through this. It would also be interesting to see how the rover is influenced by the moon’s unique porous surface. Alongside this, Ariel has spread out ice in valleys that are similar to glacier flows on Earth. Again, there could be similar creatures/bacteria considering the animals surviving in the Arctic and Antarctic conditions. If we find bacteria life forms, it would be fascinating to observe how they adapt to Earth environments and how they could potentially help us or harm us. It will be intriguing to examine how the potential organisms will react when it comes to experiments.
In conclusion, NASA should send a rover to explore Ariel further, investigate reactions in rovers and bacteria, and possibly discover unknown beings.