Telescope blasts into space to find other EarthsBy MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer – Sat Mar 7, 10:01 am ETCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's planet-hunting telescope, Kepler, rocketed into space Friday night on a historic voyage to track down other Earths in a faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy.It's the first mission capable of answering the age-old question: Are other worlds like ours out there?Kepler, named after the German 17th century astrophysicist, set off on its unprecedented mission at 10:49 p.m., thundering into a clear sky embellished by a waxing moon."It was just magnificent. It looked like a star was being formed in the sky," said Bill Borucki, Kepler's principal scientist. "Everybody was delighted, everybody was screaming, 'Go Kepler!'"Kepler's mission will last at least 3 1/2 years and cost $600 million.The goal is to find, if they exist, Earth-like planets circling stars in the so-called habitable zone — orbits where liquid water could be present on the surface of the planets. That would mean there are lots of places out there for life to evolve, Borucki said.On the other hand, "if we don't find any, it really means Earths are very rare, we might be the only extant life and, in fact, that will be the end of 'Star Trek.' "Once it's settled into an Earth-trailing orbit around the sun, Kepler will stare nonstop at 100,000 stars near the Cygnus and Lyra constellations, between 600 and 3,000 light years away. The telescope will watch for any dimming, or winks, in the stellar brightness that might be caused by orbiting planets.Astronomers already have found more than 300 planets orbiting other stars, but they're largely inhospitable gas giants like Jupiter. Kepler will be looking for smaller rocky planets akin to Earth.Kepler is designed to find hundreds of Earth-like planets if they're common and, perhaps, dozens of them in the habitable zone, Borucki said. The telescope is so powerful that from space, NASA maintains, it could detect someone in a small town turning off a porch light at night.It won't be looking for signs of life, though. That's for future spacecraft.NASA was counting on a successful launch to offset the loss last week of the space agency's Orbiting Carbon Observatory. That environmental satellite ended up crashing into the Antarctic because of rocket failure. It was a different type of rocket than the one used for Kepler.Everything seemed to go well with Kepler's launch.___On the Net:NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/kepler
I hope they find a planet with life on it. Its getting kinda boring here on earth. If there was another planet with life. I wonder what they would do for fun.
No Soccer is not universal
I find it so ignorant that some people believe that Earth is the only planet with ANY life whatsoever in the ENTIRE universe. Statistically...it's pretty much impossible that we are the ONLY life in the universe. Now whether that alien life is flying space craft and kidnapping cows is up for debate. But I'd put money on it that there's at least some sort of bacteria or something SOMEWHERE in the galaxy, and I'd double up that money if you searched the entire universe.
Well now that this telescope is out there, when's phase two going to be finished? Phase two of course being the whole "transportation to said other earth like planets". It's nice and all on paper, but what is NASA going to do when it actually does find another planet which is suitable for life? Already is a pain to land a man on Mars. So it be more a pain to land man someplace even more further out.
Akunin wrote:
Yeah, I believe it was either Jupiter or Saturn that has these really nasty worm things living in their atmostphere (I forget their exact size, but they are very small). Creepy stuff.
Avalod wrote:
Seeing as the stars we're looking at are between 600 and 3,000 light-years away, I'd say transportation to those new 'Earths' wouldn't even be in the discussions. We don't have the technology nor resources (insert omgeconomysucks here) to mount such an expedition.
We'd probably turn more and more telescopes and instruments towards that planet to try to detect life period, let alone evolved or intelligent life. Then, there'd be those that would want to send signals to that planet ala Contact to see if anyone there is listening and can respond. Then we can start worrying about all the things we see in the movies.
Given the size of the universe, I would expect there would be life out there somewhere.
Lyr
This has been in my favorites for a long time. It took me a couple hours to watch it all if I remember correctly.
http://www.ehow.com/video_4401751_d...ufos-exist.html
The guy looks crazy... I think it's hilarious they chose a guy like that to talk about how aliens exist.
Sweet. I do hope they find something. I belive that there has to be more out there than just us. I heard that they've found living bacteria on Mars. If theres living things in our own system, who knows about the ones outside.
Just imagine another planet out there, oxegen, water, food, living ability. What would the people/aliens look like? Dam their faces could be upside down and stuff ha ha Scary stuff.
I was watching "Universe" a few weeks ago with my son. We found it utterly remaining how they broke down the size of the Universe. There are over billion stars in our galaxy alone. So how many galaxies are out there?
They basically said if you count every single grain of sand on the entire planet Earth that number still will not match how many galaxies are out there. Not suns or planets, but galaxies.
Can somebody go dig up the Stargate already?
Satta wrote:
I was watching "Universe" a few weeks ago with my son. We found it utterly remaining how they broke down the size of the Universe. There are over billion stars in our galaxy alone. So how many galaxies are out there?They basically said if you count every single grain of sand on the entire planet Earth that number still will not match how many galaxies are out there. Not suns or planets, but galaxies. Can somebody go dig up the Stargate already?
That said, it's quite pathetic how so many humans think they are so important. Religions and Wars all smaller then a grain of sand on an infinitly massive desert.
imax wrote:
Satta wrote:I was watching "Universe" a few weeks ago with my son. We found it utterly remaining how they broke down the size of the Universe. There are over billion stars in our galaxy alone. So how many galaxies are out there?They basically said if you count every single grain of sand on the entire planet Earth that number still will not match how many galaxies are out there. Not suns or planets, but galaxies. Can somebody go dig up the Stargate already?That said, it's quite pathetic how so many humans think they are so important. Religions and Wars all smaller then a grain of sand on an infinitly massive desert.
That is true, our petty differences are insignificant when measured by the vastness and beauty of the universe. That being said, we are important in that we (intelligent life) may be at least uncommon. Like in The Day the Earth Stood Still, there were only so many worlds like ours. <insert "Protect the Environment" speech here>
ArchDuke wrote:
imax wrote:Satta wrote:I was watching "Universe" a few weeks ago with my son. We found it utterly remaining how they broke down the size of the Universe. There are over billion stars in our galaxy alone. So how many galaxies are out there?They basically said if you count every single grain of sand on the entire planet Earth that number still will not match how many galaxies are out there. Not suns or planets, but galaxies. Can somebody go dig up the Stargate already?That said, it's quite pathetic how so many humans think they are so important. Religions and Wars all smaller then a grain of sand on an infinitly massive desert.That is true, our petty differences are insignificant when measured by the vastness and beauty of the universe. That being said, we are important in that we (intelligent life) may be at least uncommon. Like in The Day the Earth Stood Still, there were only so many worlds like ours.
That is true, our petty differences are insignificant when measured by the vastness and beauty of the universe. That being said, we are important in that we (intelligent life) may be at least uncommon. Like in The Day the Earth Stood Still, there were only so many worlds like ours.
War:Its because humans are still animals with no natural predators to kill us besides ourself. If an alien invasion where to happen on earth you would see mankind unite as one, many presidents and world leaders have said this before.
Religion is a wonderful thing as long as you dont have wicked folks twist it. Not what those crazy books say has happen, but its not out of the question that there is a higher power that created the universe. Maybe it didnt know it created us. I find that just as belevable as a gaint explosion that just happened to happen and thats how the universe was created.
Other intelligent life probably have their own religions as well. Yes our wars a petty and pointless on the grand scale of things I do think that religion would have a factor in talking with other intelligent life though. The Native Americans and colonel settlers clash of religions is probably something we should keep in mind when we do met our clearskinned friends from space.
Plus We havent reached the first tier yet.
I agree completely Mars. And I was actually thinking about the Kardashev scale when I first read this thread. The Drake equation is a good one to give someone some perspective also.
