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COROT during assembly - Image courtesy Alcatel Alenia Space Cannes
A satellite project aimed at finding Earth-like planets has launched from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

A French-led satellite project has launched into space on a mission to discover Earth-like planets that are beyond our solar system.  The $225-million COROT project is based around a telescope that is expected to find planets that range in size and shape, according to Claude Catala, a researcher working on the project.  The telescope will evaluate more than 120,000 stars while specifically looking for tiny dips in brightness that are caused by planets passing in front of stars.

Astronomers are aware of the existence of other planets, however, current technology only allows for the accurate identification of Jupiter-style gas giants.  The French National Space Studies Center is working alongside partners from the European Space Agency, Spain, Germany, Austria, Brazil and Belgium.

The mission is expected to last approximately 2.5 years, with phases split into 6-month durations.  The spacecraft will point towards objects near the center section of the Milky Way or towards stars off center.  Researchers also plan on studying the stars to learn more about their interior behavior.

The COROT project is expected to help set the stage for the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Kepler project, which aims to search for Earth-sized planets that have orbits somewhat similar to Earth's.  The Kepler probe, carrying a 37.4-inch telescope, is expected to discover up to 50 extrasolar planets.  The NASA Kepler project is scheduled to run four years, starting in 2008.

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By rushfan2006 on 12/28/2006 11:21:14 AM , Rating: 2
In all realms of logic and certainty I think there is a exponentially greater chance of an "alien" life form contacting or discovering us and not the other way around. Heck some people believe they already have with the UFO's and what not.

Its nice to dream and all, lord knows I'd be excited beyond believe for VERIFIED 100% discovery of finding life on another planet that is actually advanced to at least our level of technology.

But then reality sinks in, the vastness of the universe hits you....even at the speed of light - to which we have no way of even coming close to that speed yet, it would take decades, even centuries and beyond to reach planets on the outer edges of our universe. Heck isn't our galaxy something like 100,000 light years wide?

We go "wow" when the shuttle hits 20,000 MPH...that is nothing...in the vastness of space that speed is like our cars here on earth doing half a mile per hour, if that.

I don't know how long the big man will keep us around (and yes I am showing my beliefs here ) but I think it'll take probably a thousand more years for us to get the technology required to even approach travel at light speed....of course pre-established laws of physics and all say we wouldn't survive that speed anyway even if we could hit it...so I don't know how we'd answer that.

Not to be a downer, I'm just being realistic...we are so primitive with our space exploration its highly extremely doubtful will ever find verified life on another planet, much less intelligent life we can actually converse with.







By Murst on 12/28/2006 11:53:21 AM , Rating: 2
Why so pessimistic?

The only thing we can do right now is look out using telescopes, and that is exactly what this project is about.

In the near future, we may find something out there which is of interest, and maybe soon after that we'll get new technology which will allow us to get there.

When my grandfather was born, people would have laughed at you if you claimed that people could fly in the sky. Trips across contintents took months. We can do that in hours now (even minutes, although that would be extremely expensive). For all we know, my grandchild will see spaceships that travel between stars the same way we look at airplanes today.


By rushfan2006 on 12/28/2006 2:18:36 PM , Rating: 2
Oh don't get me wrong...If ever there was a time I hoped I was wrong...with this topic it would be it.

Well noted about how people thought flight was impossible at one time. But at the same time, going from no flight at all to flight across continents in hours, while extremely good progress...is a vastly different world away from conquering intra-planetary travel.

Pessimistic...I like to call it realistic.


By Xavian on 12/28/2006 11:57:10 AM , Rating: 2
If human history has taught us anything, its that we always want to go beyond the impossible and attempt to do it.

In the 1800's many 'scientists' said we wouldn't survive a train moving at 50MPH (that our brains would squash against the back of our skulls). Yet someone went and made that train and now we have trains at 200-250MPH, right now we may not see a way to go beyond the speed of light, but I'm sure in the future with enough knowledge we'll be able to accomplish that feat.

Thats if... we don't blow ourselves to kingdom come before that.


By masher2 (blog) on 12/28/2006 12:42:52 PM , Rating: 1
We've had the technology to build a probe that can travel at an appreciable percentage of the speed of light since the 1970s, using a pulsed-fission/fusion drive.

The only thing preventing us from building one is the enormous cost, and the political aspects of using nuclear-powered spacecraft. Its hard enough to get approval for a simple radiothermal generator....can you imagine the hue and cry from Greenpeace if we loaded up a few hundred h-bombs onto a spacecraft?


By masher2 (blog) on 12/28/2006 12:57:55 PM , Rating: 1
Before someone misinterprets this, by "appreciable percentage", I mean 2-4%, not 97%. To get close to the speed of light would require a continuous fusion drive at least...and we're likely 50-100 years from that.

However, if you're simply talking about sending a probe, there's another way. Build a very large and extremely light sail, then drop it off near the sun. Light itself will quickly propel it to near lightspeed...as long as you can get the mass/area ratio low enough. With current progress levels in nanotech, we might be able to build such a probe within 10-20 years.


By oTAL (blog) on 12/29/2006 1:20:10 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
To get close to the speed of light would require a continuous fusion drive at least...and we're likely 50-100 years from that.


With the way advances are being made I'd say 30-40 years before that technology is available. But maybe your right...
I do have high hope os the ITER project.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER

My timeline would be something like:
*2015-20 ITER starts working and producing great results.
*~2025 The promise is so great that commercial projects start to be seen as a possibility. Plans start to be drawn.
*2030-35 Plans are finished... took some time due to many corrections and constant developments because of lessons learned on the continuation of ITER.
*2040-45 First commercial plant is built and operational. After the first results many other start to be built. Inexpensive energy for the world =). I am now 60-65 years old =(
Maybe this carries some wishful thinking, but it isn't an uninformed opinion...


By masher2 (blog) on 12/29/2006 2:27:37 PM , Rating: 1
> "With the way advances are being made I'd say 30-40 years before that technology is available"

Remember that a continuous fusion reactor is considerably easier to produce than a continuous fusion drive. The latter not only needs to be much smaller and less massive, but (if you want a high Isp, required for near-lightspeed travel), you need a much higher operating temperature.


too bad...
By MeSh1 on 12/28/2006 8:53:43 AM , Rating: 2
I love that they're doing this, but if anything signifcant is found that is felt the public cant handle we'll never hear of it. Still cool though.




RE: too bad...
By OrSin on 12/28/2006 9:20:20 AM , Rating: 2
Sorry but what could that be? If life is found on another planet, bevlei me they will tell the world. Maybe the US would hide it, but Russia show off just how advanced they are. But really their is no way this will find life on another world. It even could tell if planet could support life. You have been reading to many conspiracy books.


RE: too bad...
By OrSin on 12/28/2006 9:21:13 AM , Rating: 2
Srrry meant French not Russian


RE: too bad...
By zsdersw on 12/28/2006 10:21:42 AM , Rating: 2
The bigger let-down is that we can't really explore any planets that we do find because they're so far away and the technology to interact with the vastly-different-from-Earth environments we're likely to find isn't there yet. Hell, we can't even explore the potential havens for life that are here in our own solar system.. like Europa and Titan.. not because of distance necessarily but because of environmental factors. Maybe Prometheus 1 with its ion engines and nuclear power will provide some clear answers on Europa and Titan (among the other Jovian and Saturnian moons), though.


RE: too bad...
By DerekBaker on 12/28/2006 11:01:52 AM , Rating: 2
Looks like Prometheus I won't be finding anything: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Prometheus


RE: too bad...
By zsdersw on 12/28/2006 11:23:58 AM , Rating: 2
Unfortunate.. very unfortunate.


Speaking of concentration, our focus...
By TimberJon on 12/28/2006 11:55:30 AM , Rating: 2
Our prime focus should be on industrial growth. Not here, on-planet. But off planet. In orbit, or on the moon. Probably in orbit first, because its much closer, and many manufacturing processes can benefit from zero-g applications. We need the industrial infrastructure to produce ships and their components. When we have the technology to build a ship that can travel even within our own solar system under its own power, we will need a place to build more. If it can leave our atmosphere under its own power.. well then, maybe you can scratch my thought.




RE: Speaking of concentration, our focus...
By masher2 (blog) on 12/28/2006 12:44:50 PM , Rating: 2
Excellent post...space is the place, for sure. Eventually, I see nearly all heavy industry being in orbit, where it can be done far cleaner, easier, and cheaper. The only thing preventing that now is the enormous lifting costs, due to our reliance on chemical-powerered booster rockets.


By goz314 on 12/28/2006 12:48:48 PM , Rating: 2
Space elevator!!!.... :)


By rushfan2006 on 12/28/2006 2:24:22 PM , Rating: 2
Definitely, I agree with that.

I just wonder how many years off all this "neat" stuff is...we sure talk about it alot and there's always R & D being done....guess I'm just impatient...hoping to see something GREAT in my life time.


RE: Speaking of concentration, our focus...
By Dfere on 12/29/2006 12:30:13 PM , Rating: 2
I'm not sold on zero g production yet. If anyone has sources on current benefits for moving industry off planet, please post (such as goods that can be manufactured now that are more profitable off planet than on). I am not saying we do not need to fund and keep development (We do and should), and certainly invest in tech advances. But to say we need to industrialize earth orbit- what immediate economic benefits are provided in doing so? Granted we will learn a lot about zero g manufacturing processes. But to be an industry... you have to provide a return on investment.

I'd rather we spend the money on research as research than as a lost investment in industrial capacity. I think losing money as a short term failed industry investment would ultimately be less efficient than researching what the best benefits from an industry could be first, then providing incentives for commercial, global development.


By masher2 (blog) on 12/29/2006 1:07:07 PM , Rating: 2
No one is saying rush out and build factories in orbit today. It wouldn't be economical, due to lifting costs. However, in the long-term, orbital manufacturing makes far more sense than doing it here on earth. You solve the pollution problem, you have free solar power that is far more economical than here on earth (stronger solar flux, no night or clouds, and zero-g allows for massive concentrators to be cheaply constructed). Plus, there are countless industrial processes that benefit from zero-g directly.

If you want some references, I suggest you buy a copy of Dr. O'Neill's High Frontier, which set down all the basic principles 30 years ago.


information exchange
By jp7189 on 12/28/2006 10:57:53 AM , Rating: 2
Well we won't be able to travel there, but at least we'll know where to concentrate communications efforts. Just the possibility of making contact and the wealth of information that could be exchanged would be worth it all.




RE: information exchange
By MrBungle123 on 12/28/2006 11:20:13 AM , Rating: 2
It would be beyond difficult to do that with response times measured in years, or decades, or longer, and no set standards for how communications should be sent, and no common language beyond mathematics. I just don't see how any meaningful communication can made.


RE: information exchange
By goz314 on 12/28/2006 12:47:44 PM , Rating: 2
It would certainly be difficult, yes, but not impossible. A side benefit of the distances involved and the time lag between communiques is it would allow human kind ample time (i.e. years or decades) to analyze, decipher, and decode the contents of any message recieved -presuming, of course that we even interpret such a hypothetical signal as a message. It would also allow a similar amount of time to come up with a clever response.

Meaningful communication at that point wouldn't necessarily be like sending an e-mail or having a phone conversation. It might be more akin to a one-way upload of a concise cross section of human history and knowledge along with the keys to decoding the message. Something that tells whomever is listening "we were here at one time, we heard you, and you are not alone in the universe." I know it would be a shot in the dark by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be better than doing nothing if such events were to occur before humanity ceases to exist.


COROT?
By kuyaglen on 12/29/2006 9:47:54 PM , Rating: 2
Since this is a "Planet Hunter", I would have called it the Unicron Project.




By HawksStock on 12/30/2006 10:40:03 AM , Rating: 2
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz




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