ИСТИНА

XXI century marked the beginning of a renaissance of astrobiology (the study of the origin, distribution and evolution of life in the Universe). The search for extraterrestrial life is one of the priority areas of space research both in Russia and abroad. As a result of the revision of the habitable zone of our solar system, scientific attention is now paid to a variety of objects located relatively close to Earth, accessible by robotic missions: from Venus and Mars to the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Given the numerous interplanetary missions in progress and planned, each of these worlds will receive due attention in this decade or the next one. It is quite possible that primitive extraterrestrial life, living or fossilized, will be found within the next 20 years. In 2013, the Risk Response Network of the World Economic Forum declared the discovery of extraterrestrial life one of five emerging concerns for planet Earth of possible future importance but with unknown social consequences. It was indicated that paying attention to these concerns beforehand would be essential to assure a smoother societal adjustment to the possible new realities. In our small-scale pilot study, we attempted to test the methods of surveying public opinion on the search for extraterrestrial life. We also aimed at assessing the role of mass media in the process of shaping public opinion about this topic.