Destination: Kepler- 22b

Both the curiosity of human kind and the depleting resources to sustain life on this planet do to extreme exploitation of its fruits have acted as fuel for the ongoing search for potential homes to life of the future. Kepler- 22b, the first planet to be discovered in the NASA Kepler mission that was within the habitable zone (meaning the distance from a star where water can exist in its liquid state on the planet), could potentially be our saving grace. Despite the problematic 600 light years distance between our solar system and its star, the planet may hold the raw materials that sustain life. Below are images from NASA's Eyes on Exoplanets app that depict the planet and its solar system:

NASA Eyes on Exoplanets app

NASA Eyes on Exoplanets app

Many determinant factors are unknown about this distant planet such as if there is an atmosphere surrounding its surface, however it is thought that the gravitational pull of this planet is twice that of Earth so it may be likely that gases may be being contained close to the surface. Other promising features include the planets surface being covered in a super ocean, a relatively similar size and orbit to that of Earth, as well as a similar density to that of rock which could potentially mean that the environment could be similar to Earth.

Another seemingly problematic factor is that the planet is tilted on its axis like Uranus, throwing its poles into darkness for half of each year, luckily this is combatted with the worldwide ocean that keeps the overall climate mild and spring like year round, keeping temperatures around 71 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have compared this planets physical factors to that of "Kamino" in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, which also had a super-ocean surface and Uranus-like poles. In the film, constructed ocean platforms made up cities and sustained terrestrial life. This type of technology would be something to consider if we were to travel to Kepler- 22b, seeing that the average depth of the ocean is relatively shallow at 160ft. Below is a still from the film and a scene that depicts the physical features of the planet Kamino:

Star Wars Episode II: The Clone Wars (2002)

Because at this moment in time we have no knowledge of what life on other planets may look like, it is great to turn to science fiction to put ourselves in these positions to creatively problem-solve. The universe beyond our world is vast and invites continued exploration of both physical space and logistics to sustain life. As a human race I am not entirely positive that we will succeed in inhabiting a foreign planet before our eventual demise, but I am sure that our fascination with what is up and beyond our Earth will be everlasting until we meet our end.

For more information, see:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4792

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/multimedia/images/kepler-22b-diagram.html

http://www.space.com/24128-kepler-22b.html