NASA

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed the first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star. Three of these planets are firmly located in the habitable zone, the area around the parent star where a rocky planet is most likely to have liquid water. The discovery sets a new record for greatest number of habitable-zone planets found around a single star outside our solar system. All of these seven planets could have liquid water – key to life as we know it – under the right atmospheric conditions, but the chances are highest with the three in the habitable zone. “This discovery could be a significant piece in the puzzle of finding habitable environments, places that are conducive to life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “Answering the question ‘are we alone’ is a top science priority and finding so many planets like these for the first time in the habitable zone is a remarkable step forward toward that goal.”

NASA is elevating its digital platforms for the benefit of all by revamping its flagship and science websites, adding its first on-demand streaming service, and upgrading the NASA app. With these changes, everyone will have access to a new world of content from the space agency. Users can access the early, in-progress preview of the beta website now and are encouraged to visit and submit feedback at: https://beta.nasa.gov/ "Our vision is to inspire humanity through a unified, world-class NASA web experience," said Jeff Seaton, chief information officer at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. "NASA’s legacy footprint presents an opportunity to dramatically improve the user experience for the public we serve. Modernizing our main websites from a technology standpoint and streamlining how the public engages with our content online are critical first steps in making our agency’s information more accessible, discoverable, and secure.”This new web experience will serve as an ever-expanding yet consolidated homebase for information about the agency’s missions and research, climate data, Artemis updates, and more. The updated nasa.gov and science.nasa.gov websites will provide a connected, topic-driven experience, with a common search engine, integrated navigation, and optimized publishing capabilities in a modernized and secure set of web tools. NASA will continue to update and improve the beta site on a rolling-basis as it receives feedback from website visitors. Once fully launched, the online content from a selection of popular agency websites will be included within this new experience to ensure easier, integrated access to NASA information currently found across the agency’s many websites. Later this year, NASA also will launch its new streaming platform, NASA+., and upgrade the NASA app. Through the ad-free, no cost, and family-friendly streaming service, users will gain access to the agency’s Emmy Award-winning live coverage and views into NASA’s missions through collections of original video series, including a handful of new series launching with the streaming service. “We’re putting space on demand and at your fingertips with NASA’s new streaming platform,” said Marc Etkind, associate administrator, Office of Communications, NASA Headquarters. “Transforming our digital presence will help us better tell the stories of how NASA explores the unknown in air and space, inspires through discovery, and innovates for the benefit of humanity.” NASA+ will be available on most major platforms via the NASA App on iOS and Android mobile and tablet devices; streaming media players such as, Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV; and on the web across desktop and mobile devices. Following the launch of all new digital platforms, NASA will continue to connect additional agency websites and multimedia libraries into this new experience to continually streamline all the information shared across its centers, missions, and programs. With an enhanced digital presence, NASA will share science, research, exploration, and innovation with the world through cohesive platforms. “From exoplanet research to better understanding Earth’s climate and the influence of the Sun on our planet along with exploration of the solar system, our new science and flagship websites, as well as forthcoming NASA+ videos, showcases our discovery programs in an interdisciplinary and crosscutting way, ultimately building stronger connections with our visitors and viewers,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters.