Kepler Mission: Main Objective Is To Find 'Earth-like' PlanetsSeptember 18th, 2009 Kepler Mission is NASA's current mission which is reportedly going to last for four years. The mission is to be carried out by NASA and its major objective is to find planets like Earth through this mission.
NASA's Kepler space telescope detects atmosphere of known giant gas planetAugust 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's new exoplanet-hunting Kepler space telescope has detected the atmosphere of a known giant gas planet. The find is based on a relatively short 10 days of test data collected before the official start of science operations.
Search begins for Earth-sized planets around other starsJune 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, US, is partnering on a historic search for Earth-sized planets around other stars. STScI is the data archive center for NASA's Kepler mission, a spacecraft that is undertaking a survey for Earth-size planets in our region of the galaxy.
Snapshot of Earth's chemical fingerprint may help search for life in the universeJune 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, a group of international scientists took the help of a lunar eclipse to take a snapshot of earth's chemical fingerprint, which could help to identify planets most similar to earth where life may be thriving. The team used some of the world's largest optical and infrared telescopes located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) to observe light reflected from the moon toward the earth during a lunar eclipse on August 16, 2008.
New technique will detect water on earth-like planetsMay 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Since the early 1990s, astronomers have discovered more than 300 planets orbiting far away stars, nearly all of them being gas giants like Jupiter. Now, powerful telescopes, similar to NASA's recently launched Kepler Mission, will help spot much smaller rocky extrasolar planets, or exoplanets with water, more similar to earth.
NASA's Kepler spacecraft begins hunt for Earth-like planetsMay 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's Kepler spacecraft, which launched into orbit on March 6, has being hunting for other Earth-like planets. The mission will spend the next three-and-a-half years staring at more than 100,000 stars for telltale signs of planets.
NASA's Kepler mission sends first shots of planet-hunting territoryApril 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's Kepler mission has captured its first images of the star-rich sky where it will soon begin hunting for planets like Earth. The new 'first light' images show the mission's target patch of sky, a vast starry field in the Cygnus-Lyra region of our Milky Way galaxy.
NASA's Kepler mission begins hunt for planets like EarthApril 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's Kepler mission has taken its first images of the star-rich sky where it will soon begin hunting for planets like Earth. The new images show the mission's target patch of sky, a vast starry field in the Cygnus-Lyra region of our Milky Way galaxy.
Kepler orbiting Sun as scheduled: NASAMarch 8th, 2009 LOS ANGELES - Kepler, a telescope that will scour the Milky Way for evidence of Earth-like planets, is orbiting the Sun as expected, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said Saturday. Aboard a three-stage Delta 2 rocket, the Kepler telescope blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida around 7:50 p.m.
Kepler camera launched: Other 'earths', where are you?March 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA late Friday sent the Kepler satellite into Earth's orbit with instructions to search for extraterrestrial life on Earth-type planets orbiting other stars. The launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida on board a Delta-II-rocket was reported on a live blog operated by the Kepler project on the internet.
NASA readies search for other Earths with Kepler launchMarch 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Are we alone in the universe? Are there other planets like Earth? Scientists will attempt to answer those questions with a telescope being launched into orbit Friday. The Kepler spacecraft is to launch at 10:49 p.m.
NASA's Kepler mission to begin quest to find planets hosting lifeFebruary 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's Kepler spacecraft is ready to begin a journey to search for worlds that could potentially host life. It is scheduled for blast-off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, aboard a Delta II rocket on March 5 at 7:48 p.m.
ET, where are you? NASA to launch Kepler cameraFebruary 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The search for extraterrestrial life will take another step in March, when NASA launches its Kepler satellite to systematically look for Earth-type planets orbiting other stars. The Kepler mission, named after the 17th century German astronomer, is to be launched March 5 and target 100,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy that scientists believe could have planets orbiting in a 'habitable' zone, NASA scientists said Thursday.
ET, where are you? NASA to launch Kepler cameraFebruary 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The search for extraterrestrial life will take another step in March, when NASA launches its Kepler satellite to systematically look for Earth-type planets orbiting other stars. The Kepler mission, named after the 17th century German astronomer, is to be launched March 5 and target 100,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy that scientists believe could have planets orbiting in a 'habitable' zone, NASA scientists said Thursday.
ET, where are you? NASA to launch Kepler cameraFebruary 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The search for extraterrestrial life will take another step in March, when NASA launches its Kepler satellite to systematically look for Earth-type planets orbiting other stars. The Kepler mission, named after the 17th century German astronomer, is to be launched March 5 and target 100,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy that scientists believe could have planets orbiting in a 'habitable' zone, NASA scientists said Thursday.