Life - To & Beyond...

Authors: The Team: Life - To & Beyond

An initiative to carry out research & outreach activities related to Astrobiology & Space-allied Studies

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'Life' is the most dynamic entity known to humanity and is central to our existence. In this, 'Space Sciences' is one of the most multi-disciplinary fields of human endeavour. Therefore, to celebrate the interdependence between 'Life' and 'Space', we, as a group of space enthusiasts, initiated a non-profit community named "Life- To & Beyond" or "L-T&B" on the 8th of February, 2022.

Why us?
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Life- To implies Astrobiology, i.e. the scientific study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the cosmos, and Life- Beyond implies Space-Allied Studies, i.e. humanity's current efforts to move beyond our planet and simultaneously conserve its novelty. Thus, as our name implies, we aspire to figure out more about Life and Space, which, in turn, are the two sides of the same coin, known as the 'Universe'.

Team Logo: Life - To & Beyond

Our Vision and Mission:

We, the members of team L-T&B, firmly believe that 'to explore is to be Human', and so, we rejoice 'Life' as a 'Cosmic Phenomenon' by attempting to:
• Figure out the chronicle of our past (i.e. from the big bang and even beyond to conscious life on earth);
• Work on our present (i.e. our current efforts to move beyond our planet and at the very same time conserve its unique richness); and 
• Create a glorious future for humans (i.e. our ultimate fate in the universe).

Furthermore, we have the vision to generate awareness and create an impact in every community and country in the world by creating local or accessible opportunities for learning and research concerning Space sciences and STEAM fields with a special focus on Astrobiology and Space-Allied Studies
(i.e., Space Pharmacy, Space Biotechnology, Analog missions, Space robotics, space architecture, etc.).
To turn our vision into a reality, we vow to engage in Research, Communication, and Outreach concerning our focus areas. Additionally, to spice up our enterprise, we work towards bringing about an intra-, inter-, multi-, and trans-disciplinary approach in whatever we do, including making quality education and research opportunities (and facilities) available to all. To fuel this initiative, we have taken the onerous on us to share information about events and opportunities related to space sciences with all.
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​Our story so far…
 
We initially started as a LinkedIn group where we posted about different events, opportunities, and resources related to Astrobiology & Space-allied studies. To date, our team members have worked on a review paper named 'Space-Industry and COVID-19: An Insight into their Shared Relation' which got published on the 29th of March 2022 in the International Journal of Enhanced Research in Science, Technology & Engineering (a peer-reviewed Journal) and received much appreciation from its readers. The paper summarizes the impact of space on society, the impact of COVID-19 on the space industry, and a special focus on services provided by space and its technologies to combat the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on humanity. Besides, it was selected for presentation at the "LIFECON2022: A one-day national e-conference organized by B.N.N College, India, on the 7th of March 2022.
 
Moreover, our team's work got featured on the official website and social media handles of Mars on Earth Project Community (MoEP), Turkey.

Some of the ongoing projects of our group include abstract proposals for submission to AbGradcon and proposals for outreach grants for carrying out outreach activities throughout India and in multiple languages.

Soon, we plan to start working on the thematic area of Martian soil (if feasible) and on other such pipeline projects that we finalise at our team meets. Next, we plan to collaborate with reputed international organisations like Innovaspace (UK) & Mars on Earth Project Community (Turkey) to further our vision and mission. Here's a glimpse of some of our collaborative efforts:

Going forward:

We welcome any enthusiastic person who wishes to volunteer with us towards developing a sustainable 'space ecosystem' throughout the world. For this, we have several volunteering opportunities in our core team. One may contact Sibsankar Palit (Group Coordinator) or Whatsapp at +91-9903753602 for further queries. We welcome all kinds of ideas related to space sciences and STEAM, focusing on Astrobiology & Space-Allied sciences. This team doesn't promote any hierarchy or isolated groups; rather, it upholds collaborative values and novel ideas from a non-profit perspective.
 
"So, let's come together to unanimously understand Space and Life and appreciate its beauty in its true sense”.
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The InnovaSpace crew send congratulations to the Team at Life- To & Beyond and wish you good luck with your mission, collaborations and future researches. Ad Astra!