>From Jouni, ...
> indeed, I hope this will boost our efforts to launch second generation > planet finder after Kepler loses it's ability to maintain the direction of > vision. So that we could have direct measurements of near by planets. There > are currently no ongoing projects, however space exploration might get very > soon cheeper. ... There is hope for more precise astronomy research in the near future. See NASA's new darling, the James Webb Space Telescope http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/ It may not be designed to hunt specifically for new planets, but it will nevertheless uncover a lot of nifty new stuff that will end up upsetting the scientific establishment. Excerpt: The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope. The project is working to a 2018 launch date. Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System. Webb's instruments will be designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range. … And so forth, and so forth. I particularly liked the phrase: " Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang…" Not if R. Mills has his way. I gather for some time now there has existed a certain amount of accumulated evidence suggesting the possibility that the BB theory, as currently theorized, ain't what it's cracked up to be. Meanwhile, Dr. Mills' so-called "minority report" continues to languish in the dark recesses of science like background noise. But we shall see. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
