HOUSTON—Nearly four years after launching its Kepler space telescope to search for worlds outside our solar system, NASA officials confirmed Tuesday they had yet to find a planet with sufficient resources to support the space-exploration agency and its 18,000 employees. “While the discovery of Earth-like exoplanets continues at an encouraging pace, we have so far been unsuccessful at locating one with the proper financial climate and abundant liquid assets necessary to allow an agency of our size and scope to survive,” said agency administrator Charles Bolden, noting that only a relative handful of planets had been found in the so-called NASA Goldilocks Zone, an area of space in which water, moderate temperatures, and $20 billion in annual funding might exist. “There are billions of planets in our galaxy, so we’re very hopeful that one of them might harbor life-forms that actually have an interest in space and science more generally. We haven’t found one yet, but we believe they’re out there.” While Bolden stated that the Kepler mission had found 2,700 exoplanets to date, every one of them appeared to be facing crippling budget shortfalls.
More News With Video
Nation Just Wants To Be Safe, Happy, Rich, Comfortable, Entertained At All Times
Also Healthy, Fulfilled, Successful, and Loved
WASHINGTON—In a new report released Wednesday by the Pew Research center, Americans indicated that when it comes to what they expect from their country ...
Economists: People Who Paint Selves Silver And Pretend To Be Statues Make Average Of $10 Million Per Year
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Economists at Harvard University released a new study this week indicating that Americans who paint themselves silver and pretend to be statues in ...
FBI Offering $1 Million Reward For Any Information On Cheetahs
WASHINGTON—The FBI is asking any Americans with information about the eating habits, top speed, fighting abilities, or other general-interest knowledge of cheetahs to contact ...



352

