The multimillion dollar mission to find another earth

(28 Feb 2009) NASA Television - mute 1. Various NASA animations of Kepler launch and deployment in space NASA Television Washington - 19 February 2009 2. Medium of panel at news conference 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jon Morse, Director of NASA Astrophysics Division "The Kepler mission is a critical component, therefore, in NASA's broader efforts in the areas of exo-planet research and astrobiology. Not only will its discoveries be profound on their own merits, but they will also significantly impact our future planning of missions." NASA Television - mute 4. Various animations of the kind of sun and superhot planet Kepler may find NASA Television Washington - 19 February 2009 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) William Borucki, Kepler Mission Science Principal Investigator "We're hoping to find hundreds of course. Although Kepler will not find ET, it's hoping to find ET's home." 6. Cutaway of reporter asking question 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) William Borucki, Kepler Mission Science Principal Investigator "You're talking about fairly big planets, the Jovian planets, the Neptune-sized planets. And the ground-based people, whether amateurs or professionals, can follow up and find these, find that third transit and make a discovery. So many discoveries will be made with the data that we give to the public after the mission ends." NASA Television Titusville, Florida - Recent 8. Various of technicians working on Kepler telescope mirror 9. Tilt up of solar panel and telescope NASA Television Titusville, Florida - 19 February 11. Various of truck taking Kepler craft to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station LEAD IN: The search for extra-terrestrial life has occupied astronomers and scientists for years. But NASA's latest mission - Kepler - could be the first to tell exactly how alone we are in the Universe. STORYLINE: Excitement is growing as NASA prepares to launch an unprecedented mission to find planets similar to Earth. The Kepler spacecraft was transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station last Friday (20 February). It is primed to blast into space on March 5th aboard a Delta II rocket in a mission costing about $600 million USD. Scientists say the telescope attached to Kepler will observe the same patch of space for signs of Earth-like planets for the next three-and-a-half-years. NASA officials expect it to find hundreds of this kind - rocky planets that orbit sun-like stars in a warm zone where liquid could be maintained on the surface. Liquid is essential for the formation of life. William Borucki, Kepler Mission Science Principal Investigator, says that whilst they won't find ET, they are hoping to find ET's home. The telescope will locate the planets by measuring the brightness of the stars and the slight dimming as objects pass in front of them. Jon Morse, Director of NASA Astrophysics Division, says not only will its discoveries be profound, they will impact the direction of space exploration for years to come. He says it will help scientists understand the extent to which Earth is unique or simply one of many. But the duration of the mission may limit the number of planets Kepler can find. If a planet takes too long to orbit, Kepler won't be able to observe it passing the star enough times to confirm the discovery. But Borucki says Kepler's data will help future scientists and astronomers hone in on the most likely spots to search for life. space Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...