The Associated Press released a BIG STORY Monday about NASA finding an earth-like planet it has named Kepler-22b. “This is a phenomenal discovery in the course of human history!” said Geoff Marcy of the University of California Berkeley. He’s one of the pioneers of “planet hunting” outside our solar system (and he’s probably funded by a government grant).
The very last line of the lengthy AP story should have come first. NASA admitted its best manned spacecraft would take 22 million years to reach Kepler-22b. Therefore, the folly of planet-searching becomes apparent. What we have here amounts to a jobs program for rocket scientists.
The AP story failed to mention that NASA has no way of knowing if Kepler-22b is still there. The light from 22b entering our telescope is 600 YEARS OLD! That means if 22b was destroyed by a black hole 400 years ago, NASA would keep studying 22b for another 200 years!
Given the dismal state of the economy, does anyone besides me worry how many futile government projects there are like this one that are funded with borrowed money that our grandchildren must pay back?
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