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<\/p>\nAn explorer who braved the terrifying "Door to Hell" found something that may prove alien life could exist elsewhere in the universe. <\/p>\n
The Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan has been burning for more than 40 years. Soviet boffins started the blaze in a bid to burn off excess gas following a drilling accident. <\/p>\n
Canadian explorer George Kourounis was the first person to descend into the crater, where temperatures reach 1000C. The mission was sponsored by National Geographic and saw Kourounis wear a custom-made Kevlar harness to protect him from the inferno. <\/p>\n
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The aim was to take samples from the bottom of the pit. Kourounis explained at the time: "The most important part of the mission and the whole thrust behind this entire expedition was to take some samples of the soil at the bottom\u2014sand, basically\u2014and see if there is any extremophile bacteria living at the bottom that could give us clues to basically life in these extreme environments.<\/p>\n
"There are planets that have been discovered outside of our solar system that have a very hot, methane-rich environment kind of similar to what is in the crater. So, in essence, we were looking for alien life right here on Earth."<\/p>\n
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The Darvaza gas crater samples were then given to microbiologist Dr Stefan Green, who discovered a few kinds of bacteria were living in the pit. Dr Stefan said they were "enriched" by the scorching temperatures – meaning there could well be life on different planets with similar conditions. <\/p>\n
After the ground-breaking trip, Kourounis said: "I was in a spot where no human had ever been. It was like stepping onto an alien planet – more people have been on the moon.<\/p>\n
"It was exciting, adventurous, dangerous, a world first and a contribution to science. The expedition had everything I love."<\/p>\n
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