SPACE.com -- Future Missions to Search for Earth-like Planets


	Future Missions to Search for Earth-like Planets By Robert Roy Britt Senior Science Writer posted: 07:00 am ET 30 November 2000

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Several space missions have been dreamed up to search for Earth-like planets around other stars. Some may remain dreams, others are closer to reality. Here, we detail six of the more promising candidates (though there are many others).

COROT mission

The French space agency CNES leads a group that is designing COROT (COnvection, ROtation and Transits). This small Earth-orbiting telescope will likely be the first space telescope dedicated to the search for Earth-like planets. Most other planet hunting so far has been done with ground telescopes or, when space telescopes have been use, time has been limited.

COROT would detect planets when they happen to pass in front of their host star, an event known as a transit, which causes a dip in the brightness of the star.

The telescope is only 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) in diameter. Its value would lie in the fact that it would sit above the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere and that it would be devoted to the task of exoplanet hunting. Some stars will be studied for five months, to build strong signals that can then be picked out.

COROT participants include Spain, Austria, Belgium, ESTEC, Italy and the European Space Agency (ESA). Promoters say it will launch in 2004.

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