lift-off, astrophysicist, faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy

Planet hunting spacecraft Kepler poised for lift-off

NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler, has taken off from Florida's Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft is named after the 17th century German astrophysicist Johannes Kepler. The Kepler telescope, once it's in orbit around the sun, will try to find other Earth-like planets in a faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy. The cost of the space mission is $600 million dollars. The first results are expected to be made available in three months time.

Science Times: March 3, 2009

In a Lonely Cosmos, a Hunt for Worlds Like Ours

By DENNIS OVERBYE

Ball Aerospace

PEERING DEEPLY The primary mirror of the Kepler telescope. The craft’s mission is to discover Earth-like planets in Earth-like places.

A new spacecraft is about to embark on a mission to find other planets like Earth.

• Interactive Graphic: Searching for Habitable Planets