NASA calls off the space telescope’s hunt for Earth-like
planets, after attempts to fix a critical piece of equipment
failed.  NASA’s Kepler space telescope will no longer scan the
universe for Earth-like planets, the space agency has said,
after attempts to fix a critical piece of equipment failed.
Scientists stressed however that much was left to be discovered
from the data already gathered by Kepler.  “At the beginning of
the mission, no one knew if Earth-size planets were abundant or
rare in our galaxy,” chief Kepler scientist William Borucki told
reporters on August 15, 2013. “Now at the completion of the
Kepler observations we know that our galaxy is filled to the
brim with planets.” He said it is likely most stars have planets
and many host Earth-like planets. Just a few of those planets
however are close enough to their stars to potentially host
life.  “We expect hundreds, maybe thousands of new planet
discoveries, including the long awaited Earth-like planet
orbiting a star like our sun,” from alrea