Re:Still a few years off. (Score 1)

Actually there are several satellites (COROT from France, Kepler from NASA) which will measure the variations brightness of stars. They will be able to look at several stars at once, and will be sensitive enough to detect an earth size planet moving in front of the star. Of course this requires systems where earth size planets appear to move infront of the star. These missions will not be able to directly detect earths (as Darwin and TPF) will, but they will let us know they are there and they will be launching in the 2005 timeframe rather thans 2010 or beyond.