NASA's Kepler Mission : Finding Other Forms of Life

http://youtube.com/watch?v=V9HLIOnTapE

http://kepler.nasa.gov/

In June 2008 NASA's will launch it's Kepler mission. (it will be a 4-year long mission)

The most exciting discovery from this mission should be the detection of Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of solar-like stars. However, we are prepared for many other discoveries about the occurrence and characteristics of planets around other stars. Even finding a few or no planets is important, since it would lead to the conclusion that terrestrial planets are rare and the origin of the Earth needs to be reconsidered. - from NASA

Why?
The Kepler Mission is a NASA Discovery Program for detecting potentially life-supporting planets around other stars. All of the extrasolar planets detected so far by other projects are giant planets, mostly the size of Jupiter and bigger. Kepler is poised to find planets 30 to 600 times less massive than Jupiter.

How?
By a method known as the transit method of planet finding. When we see a planet pass in front of its parent star it blocks a small fraction of the light from that star.When that happens, we say that the planet is transiting the star. If we see repeated transits at regular times, we have discovered a planet! From the brightness change we can tell the planet size. From the time between transits, we can tell the size of the planet's orbit and estimate the planet's temperature.These qualities determine possibilities for life on the planet.

What?

The Kepler satellite has a 0.95-meter diameter telescope that is a photometer having a field of view a bit over 10 degrees square (and area of sky the size of about two open hands). It is designed to continuously and simultaneously monitors brightnesses of 100,000 stars brighter than 14th magnitude in the constellations Cygnus & Lyrae.

To detect an Earth-size planet, the photometer must be able to sense a drop in brightness of only 1/100 of a percent. This is akin to sensing the drop in brightness of a car's headlight when a fruitfly moves in front of it! The photometer must be spacebased to obtain this precision.

When?

Launch of Kepler: June, 2008

garrrr ITS ALL A CONSPIRACY MAN, THE GOVERNMENTS KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THERE LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS!!!!!!!!serjitup

For some reason I had a feeling someone would make a post that the government has kept aliens captive but this post comes close enough! :)

I bet it can't find my porn stashbasketcasetct

lol

Well that's super...

I bet it can't find my porn stashbasketcasetct

What's special about your stash? You keep it in an external hard drive within a secret sliding compartment built into the wall.

[QUOTE="basketcasetct"]I bet it can't find my porn stashElZilcho90

What's special about your stash? You keep it in an external hard drive within a secret sliding compartment built into the wall.

I have mine in a better place. I gave it to the aliens in Area 51 to keep safe. In return, i got to keep one their embryos safe. currently it is in the back of my neck. when it hatches, it will eat 1/2 of my body mass, then fuse the rest w/ itself. So, i will be half alien.

but, no really, that was really cool.

Well, this is a waste of time and money.Silver_Dragon17

You seem to be against anything that threatens the validity of your religion.

didn't we already find earth-like planets?353535355353535

Yes, many, we just haven't been able to go there ourselves in person close up and see.

[QUOTE="353535355353535"]didn't we already find earth-like planets?andyb1205

Yes, many, we just haven't been able to go there ourselves in person close up and see.

[QUOTE="andyb1205"]

[QUOTE="353535355353535"]didn't we already find earth-like planets?353535355353535

Yes, many, we just haven't been able to go there ourselves in person close up and see.

Hopefully they aren't as hostile as our planet. Earth is most likely the biggest joke of the universe; aliens often use it to make jokes like "An earthling is overweight, so his doctor puts him on a diet. "I want you to eat regularly for two days, then skip a day, and repeat the procedure for two weeks. The next time I see you, you'll have lost at least five pounds." When the earthling returns, he's lost nearly 20 pounds. "Why, that's amazing!" the doctor says. "Did you follow my instructions?". The earthling nods. "I'll tell you, though, I thought I was going to drop dead that third day." "From hunger, you mean?" said the doctor. "No, from skipping," replied the earthling."

My apologies, I'm in a random mood right now :|

So if there's a life supporting planet that takes 5 earth years to orbit its star, then it would take at least 10 years for us to see a regular pattern, and that's only if it just happens to be aligned at an angle at which it passes right in front of its star in relation to us. Good luck NASA.cjek

A planet with a 5 year orbit would theoretically be 5x farther away from its star. Unless the star is much larger than our own, that planet would be too cold to support life anyways.

[QUOTE="cjek"]So if there's a life supporting planet that takes 5 earth years to orbit its star, then it would take at least 10 years for us to see a regular pattern, and that's only if it just happens to be aligned at an angle at which it passes right in front of its star in relation to us. Good luck NASA.Gamer556

A planet with a 5 year orbit would theoretically be 5x farther away from its star. Unless the star is much larger than our own, that planet would be too cold to support life anyways.

Central heating?

[QUOTE="cjek"]So if there's a life supporting planet that takes 5 earth years to orbit its star, then it would take at least 10 years for us to see a regular pattern, and that's only if it just happens to be aligned at an angle at which it passes right in front of its star in relation to us. Good luck NASA.Gamer556

A planet with a 5 year orbit would theoretically be 5x farther away from its star. Unless the star is much larger than our own, that planet would be too cold to support life anyways.

Not exactly true. It just means that the planet would take more time to revolve around the star. It doesn't necessarily mean the planet is farther away from the star.

[QUOTE="Gamer556"]

[QUOTE="cjek"]So if there's a life supporting planet that takes 5 earth years to orbit its star, then it would take at least 10 years for us to see a regular pattern, and that's only if it just happens to be aligned at an angle at which it passes right in front of its star in relation to us. Good luck NASA.cjek

A planet with a 5 year orbit would theoretically be 5x farther away from its star. Unless the star is much larger than our own, that planet would be too cold to support life anyways.

Central heating?

As in, from the molten core?

[QUOTE="cjek"][QUOTE="Gamer556"]

[QUOTE="cjek"]So if there's a life supporting planet that takes 5 earth years to orbit its star, then it would take at least 10 years for us to see a regular pattern, and that's only if it just happens to be aligned at an angle at which it passes right in front of its star in relation to us. Good luck NASA.Gamer556

A planet with a 5 year orbit would theoretically be 5x farther away from its star. Unless the star is much larger than our own, that planet would be too cold to support life anyways.

Central heating?

As in, from the molten core?

No. Like radiators and stuff, or maybe campfires. If it's the latter, then it's likely they have also developed the marshmallow.

[QUOTE="Gamer556"][QUOTE="cjek"][QUOTE="Gamer556"]

[QUOTE="cjek"]So if there's a life supporting planet that takes 5 earth years to orbit its star, then it would take at least 10 years for us to see a regular pattern, and that's only if it just happens to be aligned at an angle at which it passes right in front of its star in relation to us. Good luck NASA.cjek

A planet with a 5 year orbit would theoretically be 5x farther away from its star. Unless the star is much larger than our own, that planet would be too cold to support life anyways.

Central heating?

As in, from the molten core?

No. Like radiators and stuff, or maybe campfires. If it's the latter, then it's likely they have also developed the marshmallow.

[QUOTE="Gamer556"]

[QUOTE="cjek"]So if there's a life supporting planet that takes 5 earth years to orbit its star, then it would take at least 10 years for us to see a regular pattern, and that's only if it just happens to be aligned at an angle at which it passes right in front of its star in relation to us. Good luck NASA.ElZilcho90

A planet with a 5 year orbit would theoretically be 5x farther away from its star. Unless the star is much larger than our own, that planet would be too cold to support life anyways.

Not exactly true. It just means that the planet would take more time to revolve around the star. It doesn't necessarily mean the planet is farther away from the star.

I suppose you're right. Either way I'm guessing NASA is looking for the prospects that would give them the best results in the least amount of time, meaning no long orbits.

Well, this is a waste of time and money.Silver_Dragon17

well look at the bright side if we find a planet that can support humans we can all say "to hell with earth" and when we use all of are resources we can move over on to that planet:lol:

LOL! My last name is Keplernewimagejkep

You're probably somewhere on the list for the first manned Mars mission in 30 years or so; it's no coincidence.

[QUOTE="Silver_Dragon17"]Well, this is a waste of time and money.cold_skull

well look at the bright side if we find a planet that can support humans we can all say "to hell with earth" and when we use all of are resources we can move over on to that planet:lol:

I think more into the future we are gonna do that a lot, suck out the resources until the planet dies and we move on to the other, LIKE PARASITES! YESSS!

[QUOTE="newimagejkep"]LOL! My last name is Keplercjek

You're probably somewhere on the list for the first manned Mars mission in 30 years or so; it's no coincidence.

What do you mean? lol

Well, this is a waste of time and money.Silver_Dragon17

[QUOTE="cjek"]

[QUOTE="newimagejkep"]LOL! My last name is Keplernewimagejkep

You're probably somewhere on the list for the first manned Mars mission in 30 years or so; it's no coincidence.

What do you mean? lol

They're coming for you. I can't say anymore now. Meet me at the bridge at 12.

[QUOTE="newimagejkep"][QUOTE="cjek"]

[QUOTE="newimagejkep"]LOL! My last name is Keplercjek

You're probably somewhere on the list for the first manned Mars mission in 30 years or so; it's no coincidence.

Ok I'll send you a text message when I arrive.

What do you mean? lol

They're coming for you. I can't say anymore now. Meet me at the bridge at 12.

Well, this is a waste of time and money.Silver_Dragon17

And why would that be?

I live in Florida, as I've said numerous times over in other posts I've made. I grew up in Brevard County, in the city of Cocoa. If you look that up on a map, you'll see thats within 20 miles of the Kennedy Space Center. The location I lived in, I could look across the Indian River and see the VAB, the various Launch Pads, and even sometimes the bigger processing buildings.

What really pisses me off is when people say things like space exploration and study is a waste of time.

NASA is far more important than you probably realize. Not only does it provide countless jobs for people in my home town, there are dozens of other companies that get all their business from NASA. So if NASA is a waste of time, and someone decides to shut it down, that person will put hundreds of thousands, if not a million people in the United States out of a job. Thats economy crippling.

If you forget about the economic importance of space exploration and discovery, what about the scientific ramifications?
Without NASA, there wouldn't be velcro, there wouldn't be hydroponics, there wouldn't be computers, there wouldn't be the cars we have today, there wouldn't be cell phones or satellite TV. So, I guess you should trade your computer in, as its just a waste of money. Get rid of the cell phone you probably own because it's been brought to you by a heathenistic organization.

So what about the exploration and images things like satellites give us? Lets see.. Galileo in the 15 and 1600's must have wasted his time, what with his looking through telescopes and stuff. Guess the Earth must be flat, and must be the center of the Universe. Same as the Hubble Space Telescope. The images it provides us give us so much valuable information as to the size and creation of the Universe. Someone last night posted this link. I think that shows just how important and valuable the Hubble is.

This Kepler Mission, it's more valuable than anyone can understand right now. What happens if it finds a terrestrial planet with the same properties as Earth? What if we finally realize we aren't the only sentient beings in existence? How will that change the way we live our lives on Earth? Maybe, just maybe people will finally learn to put their differences aside and focus on advancement. Even if we discover other sentient life in the Universe, that doesn't mean God is invalid. Maybe they believe in their own supernatural forces. Who knows?

But to simply say that it's a waste of time and money to explore space and to look for other life? That's just ignorant and really pisses me off.

[QUOTE="Gamer556"]

[QUOTE="cjek"]So if there's a life supporting planet that takes 5 earth years to orbit its star, then it would take at least 10 years for us to see a regular pattern, and that's only if it just happens to be aligned at an angle at which it passes right in front of its star in relation to us. Good luck NASA.ElZilcho90

A planet with a 5 year orbit would theoretically be 5x farther away from its star. Unless the star is much larger than our own, that planet would be too cold to support life anyways.

Not exactly true. It just means that the planet would take more time to revolve around the star. It doesn't necessarily mean the planet is farther away from the star.