Other Worlds New Series Coming Soon to NASA

NASA's search for other worlds primarily involves the exploration of planets and celestial bodies within and beyond our solar system. Here are some of the key NASA missions and projects related to the search for other worlds:

1. Exoplanet Exploration:
- Kepler Space Telescope: Launched in 2009, Kepler was a space telescope designed to search for exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) by monitoring the brightness of stars. It discovered thousands of exoplanets during its mission.
- TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite): Launched in 2018, TESS is designed to survey the entire sky and identify exoplanets orbiting the brightest stars in our vicinity.

2. Mars Exploration:
- The Mars rovers (e.g., Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance) are designed to explore the Martian surface, study its geology, and search for signs of past or present life.
- The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and MAVEN are spacecraft orbiting Mars, studying its atmosphere, climate, and surface.

3. Europa Clipper: NASA's upcoming mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, which is believed to have a subsurface ocean that could potentially harbor life. The spacecraft will investigate this moon's ice-covered surface and the potential for habitability below the ice.

4. Enceladus Exploration: NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which concluded its mission in 2017, discovered plumes of water vapor erupting from the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. These plumes could indicate the presence of a subsurface ocean and potential habitability. Future missions may focus on exploring Enceladus.

5. Asteroid and Comet Missions: NASA has sent spacecraft like OSIRIS-REx and Stardust to study asteroids and comets, as they can provide insights into the early solar system and the potential for life's ingredients being delivered to Earth.

6. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): Although not focused solely on exoplanets, JWST is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the universe, including the study of exoplanets. It will be used to investigate exoplanet atmospheres and potentially identify signs of habitability and life.

7. Planetary Defense: NASA also monitors and studies near-Earth objects (NEOs), such as asteroids and comets, to better understand their orbits and potentially develop strategies for planetary defense in case of a potential impact threat.

NASA continues to expand its efforts to explore and understand other worlds within our solar system and beyond. These missions and projects contribute to our knowledge of the cosmos and the potential for life beyond Earth.