--- title: NASA Discovers New Earth-Like Planet description: NASA has discovered an earth-like planet orbiting around a star, what a NASA researcher called a "bigger, older cousin to Earth." canonical: https://time.com/3969886/nasa-discovers-earth-planet/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-23T17:02:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:29:22.160Z article:section: Science og:title: NASA Discovers New Earth-Like Planet og:description: It's a "bigger, older cousin to Earth" og:url: https://time.com/3969886/nasa-discovers-earth-planet/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff94fe09bb41b817/69885c2e2dce01c4fe9e4c2b/452b_artistconcept_beautyshot.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4533 og:image:height: 2550 og:image:alt: This artist's concept depicts one possible appearance of the planet Kepler-452b, the first near-Earth-size world to be found in the habitable zone of star that is similar to our sun. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NASA Discovers New Earth-Like Planet twitter:description: It's a "bigger, older cousin to Earth" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff94fe09bb41b817/69885c2e2dce01c4fe9e4c2b/452b_artistconcept_beautyshot.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 13:31 video:published: 2021-03-11 section: science topics: space travel, one-year ISS mission, Mars exploration, human biology in space, identical twins study, astronaut family life, risk and purpose, homesickness in orbit genre: documentary, personal profile tones: reflective, warm, humorous, earnest emotions: nostalgia (medium), affection (high), anticipation (medium), pride (medium) sentiment: positive audience: space enthusiasts, science readers, families of astronauts, general news viewers people: Scott Kelly, Mark Kelly, Miko, Charlotte, Gabby organizations: NASA, TIME content_suitability: risk of death [08:24-08:43] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # NASA Discovers New Earth-Like Planet > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=5739c5fb-be30-4869-87cc-b656f1e42957&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A Year in Space - Ep.1: Leaving Home [Watch (HLS stream): A Year in Space - Ep.1: Leaving Home](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6ookw4W2.m3u8) (13:31)  _Published 2021-03-11. A Year in Space - Ep.1: Leaving Home_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary This episode of A Year in Space introduces Scott Kelly's upcoming one-year mission aboard the International Space Station and the biomedical study NASA will run on him. It discusses the difficulty of human survival as the main obstacle to a future Mars mission. Kelly describes missing everyday earthly experiences and his identical twin brother Mark, who is part of the comparative study. Family members, including his daughter, send farewell messages before his departure. ## Key points - Scott Kelly will spend one year in space to run one of the most important biomedical studies NASA has ever run. (04:19) - The human body is described as the most fragile and destructible system, and the one humans did not invent, which is a major challenge for getting to Mars. (03:23) - Americans were predicted to reach Mars by 1975, a dream that has been deferred for half a century. (02:57) - NASA is conducting a comparative study between Scott Kelly and his identical twin brother Mark. (07:35) - Kelly says he misses the weather, such as sun on his face and the feel of a cold breeze, which he cannot experience in space. (05:00) - Kelly left a faded Texans hat outside to be exposed to Houston weather for a year, to return to him changed when he comes home. (05:17) - Kelly says he calls his brother much more when in space than on Earth because he feels so far away and needs to maintain a connection. (07:43) - Kelly says the mission is risky and worth it, being part of something larger than himself, even if tragedy were to befall him and his crew mates. (08:24) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 02:51] Opening and life in space. Kelly reflects on dreams of space and how distant life on Earth feels while he is in orbit. - [02:51 to 04:19] Mars ambitions and human limits. The episode frames the long-standing goal of reaching Mars and the fragility of the human body as the key challenge. - [04:19 to 05:00] Scott Kelly's mission. Kelly's career-long preparation for a one-year biomedical study aboard the station is introduced. - [05:00 to 07:35] Missing Earth and the Texans hat. Kelly describes missing outdoor weather and sensory experiences, and the hat he leaves behind to weather for a year. - [07:35 to 08:24] Identical twins and the study. Kelly discusses his twin brother Mark, their shared history, and NASA's comparative study of the two. - [08:24 to 09:05] Risk and purpose. Kelly argues that the mission's risks are worth taking because it is part of something larger than himself. - [09:05 to 13:31] Family farewells. Family members record goodbye messages, including his daughter, who reflects on growing up with an astronaut father. ## Key quotes - [07:43] Scott Kelly: "I call him much more when I'm in space than I do on earth." - [08:24] Scott Kelly: "Being part of something that you feel is larger than yourself" - [03:23] Scott Kelly: "The system that's the most fragile and destructible of all, however, is the human body." - [12:20] Charlotte: "He's still my dad, no matter what his job is." ## Questions this video answers - What is Scott Kelly's mission? [04:19] - Why is the human body considered a major challenge for reaching Mars? [03:23] - Why is NASA studying Scott Kelly and his twin brother Mark? [07:35] - What does Scott Kelly say he misses about Earth? [05:00] - Why does Scott Kelly think the risks of the mission are worth taking? [08:24] - How does Scott Kelly's family feel about his year-long mission? [09:05] ## Content suitability - risk of death [08:24-08:43]: Kelly acknowledges that a tragic outcome for himself and his crew mates is possible during the mission.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jul 23, 2015 5:02 PM UTC NASA's Kepler Mission is searching for life on other planets, and it recently discovered a promising lead that's the most Earth-like yet.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jul 23, 2015 5:02 PM UTC NASA has discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting around a star, which a NASA researcher called a “bigger, older cousin to Earth.” Kepler 452b was discovered on NASA’s Kepler mission orbiting in the habitable zone around a sun-like star, or the zone in which liquid water could pool on the surface of an orbiting planet, [according to a NASA statement](https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/finding-another-earth). About 12 planets had previously been discovered in habitable zones that had similarities to earth, but, “Kepler-452b fires the planet hunter’s imagination because it is the most similar to the Earth-sun system found yet,” NASA’s statement says. “A planet at the right temperature within the habitable zone, and only about one-and-a-half times the diameter of Earth, circling a star very much like our own sun.” Along with Kepler 452b, this mission also found 11 other small habitable zone planets. “This exciting result brings us one step closer to finding an Earth 2.0,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. _Read next:_ [_See the Evolution of the Iconic Blue Marble Photo_](http://time.com/3964886/earth-blue-marble-photos/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day_](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:09] It [00:18] is [00:27] a long [00:34] road and it is very hard. I've seen him behind the [00:37] scenes. I've seen the hard work he's put in, and here [00:40] we are, and this is the moment. And so, [00:44] it can't not Lot pull you in and a joke or two here and [00:48] there. [ MUSIC ] I [00:54] do sometimes dream of being in space. Sometimes I'll [00:57] wake up and I'll tell Miko, I had this dream I was [01:00] launching a space shuttle or a space station or [01:02] sometimes there are people with me. Like she's been [01:04] with me in my dreams, my kids have. But in reality, [01:08] while I'm up there most of humanity is 250 miles below [01:12] you. If anything goes wrong on earth. You're [01:16] not coming home [ MUSIC ] [01:19] [ INAUDIBLE ] [01:21] How's [01:23] it [01:26] going [01:28] for [01:30] you [01:33] now? It's [01:37] actually [01:42] going [01:46] pretty [01:50] good. [01:55] [ MUSIC ] [01:59] In [02:04] float [02:08] suit [02:12] Let [02:17] me [02:21] know [02:26] if you're good to stay in for another hour. Got my [02:27] [ UNKNOWN ] [02:35] [ MUSIC ] For [02:51] decades human beings as a whole and Americans in [02:55] particular have been talking about going to Mars. [02:57] Mars. As long ago as 1969, [03:01] after the Apollo 11 moon landing, people were [03:04] predicting Americans would be on Mars by 1975. It [03:09] has been a dream deferred. For half a century. [03:12] [ MUSIC ] [03:23] Getting to Mars requires multiple systems in Nasa [03:27] to be working at once. The system [03:31] that's the most fragile and destructible of all, however, [03:34] is the human body. It's the one we [03:38] didn't invent. It's the one we're stuck with. [ MUSIC ] [03:43] If [03:45] we plan to get to Mars, we have to figure out how to [03:48] make that biological machine survive in a place [03:52] it was not built to survive. [ MUSIC ] [04:04] Scott Kelly. Has been working toward this mission his [04:07] entire career. He's been working toward this mission [04:09] his entire life in some respects. [ MUSIC ] He [04:19] knows what it's like to have a football field [04:23] size piece of $ 100 billion infrastructure. In [04:28] his control and now he is going back for one year to [04:32] run one of the most important bio- medical studies [04:35] NASA has ever run [ MUSIC ] [04:42] Yeah, [04:48] the [04:54] way he misses the people, and then the weather. [05:00] It's kinda like. Well, it's going outside. There's [05:04] no sun on your face. You never feel this on my feet, [05:08] this fire. You never feel this cold breeze. It's always [05:13] exactly the same. So [05:17] I had this Texans hat. And it was completely faded and [05:21] stained and it was the best hat ever and [05:26] then I lost them. So, I went [05:30] and I bought two of the exact same hat. This one's [05:34] gonna go to Cuz I stand with me. But [05:38] then I took the other one, and I strewed him to the [05:40] fence over there. And he's going to be exposed to the [05:43] Houston weather for a year. And he's going to turn [05:47] back into old smokey for me when I get home. You're [05:49] gonna come home, and a year later, you're gonna see [05:51] earth changed something too. I hope not too much. [05:54] [ LAUGH ] We'll figure it out. When [06:00] the first time like I actually had an interaction with you [06:02] at work you came in. And I thought. It was so [06:07] weird to me now to think of. You thought it was my [06:09] brother? I couldn't tell the difference between the two [06:12] of you which is weird to me now. Because I'm like I can [06:15] tell When you; re walking away I know exactly who's [06:17] who. [ MUSIC ] Yeah, [06:22] we used to look, I guess, very much alike. To [06:26] some extent still, for people who don't know us. And [06:30] my mother used to dress us the same. Now [06:35] look at these old pictures with Orange shorts, and a [06:37] striped orange shirt, and a bow tie. [ MUSIC ] When we [06:42] were little we had our own secret language. We [06:47] did almost everything together, and I remember laying [06:50] in bed one time in the morning, and talking [06:54] to my brother about how we were gonna build an [06:55] airplane in the back yard. We just said at five or six [06:59] years old we figured we could do that. Like we had the [07:01] skill to do this. Obviously, we didn't. We didn't get very [07:05] far with the airplane or later with the spaceship. [07:11] [ MUSIC ] I think twins tend to be a little bit different. I [07:15] think their relationship is different than just siblings. [07:18] [ MUSIC ] You okay? Yep. [ MUSIC ] [07:22] So, this thing is not [07:27] meant to walk around in. [ LAUGH ] No. NASA's [07:35] doing kind of a comparative study between my brother [07:38] Mark and I, since we're identical twins. I [07:43] call him much more when I'm in space than I do on [07:46] earth. And it's because you [07:50] just feel like you're so far away, you need to try to [07:54] maintain some kind of connection. I'll [07:59] be probably more excited for him than anybody else. [08:02] I've flown four flights. This'll be his fourth flight. [08:09] For my mom's passed away, but for my dad to have [08:14] gone through this whole experience eight times now, [08:17] that's a lot. [ MUSIC ] [08:24] Throughout history people have done things that are [08:28] risky. So even though it is a risky thing to be doing, [08:32] and I think it's a lot more risky than some people might [08:34] think, it, in my mind, is worth it even [08:39] if the unfortunate And tragic [08:43] thing was to happen to myself and my crew mates, I [08:48] still think it's worth it. Being part of something that you [08:51] feel is larger than yourself [ MUSIC ] [09:05] [ INAUDIBLE ] it's going to be a long year for I'll tell you [09:08] that. Dad, I can call you from space and [09:12] harass you, just as much as I can harass you over the [09:15] phone here. You don't have to worry. Okay. Thank you. [09:20] [ LAUGH ] Got your [09:25] tunes, your headphones. [09:30] Uh- huh. [ MUSIC ] [ LAUGH ] [09:35] That was funny. [09:40] Oh. Yep. What [09:45] did you say this morning that was funny? And I told you [09:49] don't say that, yay. God. It would. What was I talking [09:55] about. Oh, when you said goodbye, dad. Goodbye, [10:00] dad. I'm going to miss your silky smoothness. Should I [10:01] show you how the remote works? I think I got it now, I [10:03] think I got it. We're on our own. I'm [10:10] going to jump in the shower. Real quick. Okay. [10:11] [ MUSIC ] [ NOISE ] Excuse me everybody! Can we be [10:11] really quiet for a sound test real quick? Sound [10:42] check. [ MUSIC ] Hello [10:58] Scott And Gabby and I just wanted to say Bon Voyage. [11:00] How do you say that? Bon Voyage. [11:05] And you know we know you only have a couple of days [11:08] in the US and then you are gone for I don't know like [11:10] five years or something. Do you know what it is? How [11:13] long? One year in space. Hey dad. I just [11:17] want you to know that I'm really gonna miss you. You [11:20] made so many sacrifices over the years for Charlotte [11:22] and I. You helped me become the person I am today. [11:26] Hi Dad, I'd like to wish you good luck [11:30] on your trip. It's exciting and you're going to be [11:34] working, but remember to take in the view. I love [11:41] you, Daddy. [ INAUDIBLE ] People ask me what am I [11:43] going to do, and I always just say, you know, I'm going [11:47] to just see how far love travels. You want [11:51] to know how long a year is. It's 31. Six [11:56] million seconds. It will be 31. 6 million times [12:00] you're on my mind. I [12:05] said to my brother I'll be in space and flying all the way [12:08] around the sun one lap at a year. And he's like so will [12:13] I. The rest of us will be doing the same thing. On [12:16] spaceship Earth. I get the question, [12:20] how does it feel to be the daughter of an astronaut. [12:22] You know he's been an astronaut since I was one [12:24] year's old, I wouldn't know anything else. I can't [12:27] compare it to anything else, so everybody's like yeah [12:30] it's so cool, your dad's an astronaut he's going to [12:33] space for a year. And for me, I'm like, yeah. He's my [12:36] dad. [ LAUGH ] You know? He's my dorky dad. The [12:39] one who gets mad at me if I don't do my home work, [12:41] or if I don't come home on time. [ LAUGH ] [12:46] He's still my dad, no matter what his job is. And And [12:50] he's a great one at that. 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