Scientists pleasantly surprised by number of Earth-size, distant planets

CNN ^ | 2/19/11

[KevinDavis]

Where might extraterrestrials live? The first step is figuring out what other planets out there have conditions like our own.

Scientists using NASA's Kepler space telescope are working hard to find candidates for inhabitable planets. So far, it seems that for approximately every two stars in the galaxy, there is one possible planet, NASA's William Borucki said Saturday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Washington.

[cripplecreek]

and surely we would have found some evidence of that somewhere by now.

How? We've only landed on a couple of bodies in our own solar system. Venus is likely too hot but we haven't done much study. Mars is cold but possible. We need to look a lot deeper beneath the surface of mars.

So far we haven't found a single place on earth where life doesn't exist despite looking in widely diverse places.

[Texas Eagle]

It is far more logical than the "science" offered up by the "Jesus rode a dinosaur" types.

Yeah, well, it doesn't cost my fellow taxpayers bazillions of dollars every year for me to believe that Jesus rode dinosaurs.

If you want to sell all your possessions in pursuit of this boondoggle, be my guest. Just don't make me pay for it.

[KevinDavis]

Space is huge.. We are only a speck of sand in this cosmic beach..

[Aroostook25]

Gobs and gobs of JOBS for Americans!
Real jobs in technology, manufacturing, and science.
Better than social services and stimulus handouts to unions.

[Mr. Jeeves]

It’s pleasant until the aliens come to eat us. :)

[KevinDavis]

Whatever luddite.. Here is what the Constitution says about science: To promote the progress of science.... I think we should focus more like poverty programs that costs us trillions...

[Big Bronson]

If you want to sell all your possessions in pursuit of this boondoggle, be my guest. Just don't make me pay for it.

Deal. The second you just stop using any technology which was developed as a result of NASA.

[muir_redwoods]

You probably spend 3 or 4 times as much on pizza every year as you do on NASA.

[JPG]

A whole lot of wasted space if it’s just us. I think the number is actually so high as to be mind-blowing.

[Texas Eagle]

Fine. Then they won’t miss my share.

[Cementjungle]

So far we haven't found a single place on earth where life doesn't exist despite looking in widely diverse places.

Exactly. If life springs up from random elements and chemicals, then it should be all over the place. Some would be less advanced than us, others would be more advanced. We should see some signs of something... signals, visitors, something.

Even if life could randomly form on only one out of a billion celestial bodies, there would still be billions and billions of places teaming with life... and odds would be that half or so of it would be as advanced as us, and we would see some sort of evidence.

[Texas Eagle]

Deal. The second you just stop using any technology which was developed as a result of NASA.

Deal.

[Texas Eagle]

Gobs and gobs of JOBS for Americans! Real jobs in technology, manufacturing, and science.

So, withou NASA, there would be no jobs in technology, manufacturing and science?

Weird. SOMEbody's been inhaling Bunsen Burner fumes.

[InterceptPoint]

Pleasantly surprised implies an agenda. This is not science.

Well I suppose. But I think that unlike the R vs. D world we live in there is a pretty broad agreement that it would be a good thing if we find other planets that support life.

[muir_redwoods]

I can’t imagine missing anything about you.

[muir_redwoods]

I can’t imagine missing anything about you.

[cripplecreek]

We should see some signs of something... signals, visitors, something.

Would we recognize those signals? A civilization advanced enough to travel between stars with regularity would likely develop some kind of faster than light communications that we're unable to detect.

[Texas Eagle]

Here is what the Constitution says about science: To promote the progress of science....

How did Ben Franklin discover electricity without NASA being around?

I think we should focus more like poverty programs that costs us trillions...

Ah, yes, of course. Just because I am opposed to wasting trillions of taxpayer dollars on inter-galactic conjecture, I MUST be in favor of wasting trillions of taxpayer dollars on poverty programs.

[Texas Eagle]

I can’t imagine missing anything about you.

Then it's settled.

[muir_redwoods]

Yeah, tell the IRS I said so