Reset countdown clock: Kepler Telescope to launch 1 day late

William Atkins
Saturday, 28 February 2009 00:40

Science - Space

Kepler's mission may not seem as important as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory mission, but both are important missions for Earth.

The OCO mission would have helped us understand more about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere--how it gets there from human-made activities and where it collects once it gets there.

The mission of the Kepler Space Telescope is more directed to finding planets like Earth out there in our Milky Way Galaxy.

We hope to find microscopic life on some of those planets one day, and maybe even an intelligent species or two.

Scientists will also learn more about our planet: how it evolved, in what ways Earth is similar or dissimilar to other Earth-like planets right now, and where the Earth is headed in the future with regards to its environment, climate, and most of all how we (humans) will be able to maintain a healthy balance of nature and humankind on this tiny planet we call home.

In addition, one of these days, maybe thousands of years in the future, millions of years, or billions of years in the future, we will no longer be able to stay on Earth. It will be nice to know of Earth-like planets out there where we can re-locate.