Credit: NASA

Kepler-22b. That’s the name of the exoplanet that NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has discovered. What’s so fascinating about this exoplanet is that like our Earth, Kepler-22b orbits in a similar solar system as ours and is believed to hold liquid water. What’s more, scientists believe that the overall temperate on Kepler-22b is a comfortable 72 degrees. The news of this discovery is making headlines today.

Kepler-22b is located roughly 600 light-years away and have been observed orbiting a sun-like star. With the news of this recent space discovery, the Seti program has been revived and instructed to focus on the exoplanet. Also, it’s interesting to note who was one of the entities providing funds for SETI. None other than the US Air Force Space Command.

So now that there’s some buzz in the air about a new planet that could sustain life, the US government wants to start funding science projects. What, no more wars to fund?

Both of these announcements bring back hope that the SETI project will continue to operate and that maybe, just maybe, our first interactions with extraterrestrials will be through radio signals.

ACK! ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK! ACK ACK

From SETI’s website:

The restart of SETI work at the ATA has been made possible thanks to the interest and generosity of the public who supported SETI research via the www.SETIStars.org web site.  Additional funds necessary for observatory re-activation and operations are being provided by the United States Air Force as part of a formal assessment of the instrument’s utility for Space Situational Awareness (see www.seti.org/afspc for more information).

“Kepler’s success has created an amazing opportunity to focus SETI research.  While discovery of new exoplanets via Kepler is backed with government monies, the search for evidence that some of these worlds might be home to intelligence falls to SETI alone.  And our SETI exploration depends entirely on private donations, for which we are deeply grateful to our donors,” notes Tarter.

“The year-in and year-out fundraising challenge we tackle in order to conduct SETI research is an absolute human and organizational struggle, yet it is well worth the hard work to help Jill’s team address what is one of humanity’s most profound research questions,” says Tom Pierson, CEO of the SETI Institute.

The public can follow the new ATA observations via the SETIStars.org web site and can read more about the overall work of the SETI Institute at www.seti.org.  The SETI Institute is proud to be a supporting partner in NASA’s Kepler mission – see http://goo.gl/ykFTf.