If there is life on another planet,what is it like?This is the question that a new science fiction
programme,Alient Planet,tries to answer.
In the 94-minute programme,two robots explore a fictional planet.The planet,Darwin IV,is 6.5 light
years from Earth.It has two suns,60% gravity and is smaller and hotter than Earth.It is also home to
many alien plants and animals.The robots look at the land and air on the planet,as well as the
animals,plants and birds that live there.The robots then send information about the planet to a team
of scientists on Earth.The programme is based on the book Expedition by Wayne Barlowe.
However,Alien Planet is not just normal science fiction,because it is based on real scientific
information.A team of designers and scientists described the conditions that would make life
possible on Darwin TV.The team then carefully designed the animals and plants that could live in
these conditions.The team included famous scientists such as Professor Stephen Hawking,Dr Michio
Kaku and Dr James Garvin,the chief scientist at NASA.In the programme,the scientists explain the
science behind Darwin IV.They explain why the animals and birds have certain features and discuss
the possibility of life on other planets.
Alien Planet is an exciting mix of fact and fiction.The special effects are amazing and the Alien
life forms really make the science come alive.I really recommend watching it.
Three alien life forms from Alien Planet:
Unth:An Unth is about 2.5 metres tall and has two legs.It runs fast and lives on the ground.It eats
plants,and lives and travels in a group.It is brown,with tusks at the fromt,like an elephant.
Trunk Sucker:A Trunk Sucker has a long nose and is about 1 metre long.It lives in the forest and
drinks the juice from trees.It has wings and flies like a bird.
Daggerwrist:A Daggerwrist is about 2 metres long.It lives in the forest.It jumps from tree to tree
like a monkey.It eats other animals.