Search for Other Earths

The Kepler mission and its scope. NASA is preparing to launch the Kepler space telescope to help answer a question that has boggled the minds of astronomers for centuries: Is Earth the only habitable planet in the galaxy? (AFP/Graphic).

Spectators watch the launch of NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler Friday, 3/6/09, from Cocoa Beach, Fla. Kepler, named after the German 17th century astrophysicist, set off on its unprecedented mission at 10:49 p.m., thundering into a clear sky embellished by a waxing moon (AP/Florida Today, Malcolm Denemark).

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's planet-hunting telescope, Kepler, rocketed into space Friday night on a historic voyage to track down other Earths in a faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy. It's the first mission capable of answering the age-old question: Are other worlds like ours out there?

• SLIDESHOW: Kepler Spacecraft
• VIDEO: Are We Alone in the Universe? (ABC News)
• VIDEO: Is anybody out there ? (Reuters)

Kepler, named after the German 17th century astrophysicist, set off on its unprecedented mission at 10:49 p.m., thundering into a clear sky embellished by a waxing moon.

"It was just magnificent. It looked like a star was being formed in the sky..." More>>