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NASA's New Worlds Observer.

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posted on Aug, 31 2008 @ 06:35 PM
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NASA's "New Worlds Observer" Will be Able to Spot Oceans, Continents and Clouds on Small Rocky Planets


NASA has committed $3 billion for a new space telescope powerful enough to discover planets like Earth and even signs of alien life. The New Worlds Observer will be able to identify planetary features like oceans, continents, polar caps and cloud banks and even detect biomarkers (image) like methane, oxygen and water if they exist.


Source.

Now this is cool. Within a few decades we'll probably be cosmic peeping toms, staring into the windows of aliens on other planets. I just hope they move up the timetable, 2017 is still too far away




[edit on 31-8-2008 by mrwupy]



posted on Aug, 31 2008 @ 07:42 PM
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Cool for them, we will know nothing about their discoveries. I have given up on Nasa, they take millions of pictures and publish a handful...I would ignore anything they say.


jra

posted on Aug, 31 2008 @ 08:10 PM
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Originally posted by bubbles75
they take millions of pictures and publish a handful.


Since when? I don't know what sites you go to, to see images released by NASA, but I've come across what seems like hundreds of thousands.

As for the new telescope, it sounds great. Although I wouldn't expect much in terms of visual detail due to the extreme distance.



posted on Aug, 31 2008 @ 10:44 PM
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Originally posted by jra

As for the new telescope, it sounds great. Although I wouldn't expect much in terms of visual detail due to the extreme distance.


This is true, but if we can see the cloud tops of distant planets in a few years then in a few decades we'll be able to see the roofs of houses. (If they exist.)

I posted this simply because I think it's an awesome step in the right direction.

We may not be able to communicate with them, but at least we'll know they are there.



posted on Sep, 1 2008 @ 10:11 AM
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well i think the current status of exoplanet missions is they are reviewing over 30 diffirent designs. The starshade concept is just 1 but it does have merit probably the best all things considered.

right now they dont know which is the best/ most cost effective way to proceed. The ESA darwin mission is supposedly having funding and technical difficulties that instrument would allow us to see planets in the IR spectrum.

The starshade and others being considered by nasa allow us to view them in both infrared & visible light spectrum.

We've also come a long way with ground based telescopes. The new LBT telescope in arizona has a resolution 10 times greater than hubble and they plan to build a bigger one in the future.

The only technology ready concept right now is the choronograph and the scientists involved wrote a begging letter to get funding to launch it sometime around 2015. Problem is scientific return is quite small, only 200 stars can be surveyed that may not be enough to secure funding. If i was rich i'd give them the $600million myself.

Direct imaging of earth-size exoplanets will happen what method and when are the big questions. We are on the edge of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind. Good time to be alive

the latest sky at night episode is about the LBT in arizona. Its some piece of work. www.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 1-9-2008 by yeti101]




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