The managers of NASA's planet hunting Kepler mission are considering writing a proposal to extend the mission beyond its original November 2012 end. So far, Kepler has identified 1.235 candidate exoplanets, including dozens of potential Super Earths and Earth-like worlds. All those numbers would be increased if NASA could continue the mission.
Operating Kepler at the current level in an extended mission would cost about $20 million a year. If Congress and President Obama are serious about supporting basic scientific research even during these tight budget times, extending Kepler should be an easy call.
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