Kepler Launch Successful-The Planet Hunt may now begin

Well, gents, a Delta II successfully launched the Kepler planet-hunter last
night, and now the checkout phase begins, before planet-hunting can start in
earnest. Mission has a minimium 3 1/2 year lifespan, with possible mission
extension out to six years. 100,000 targeted stars in the Cygnus region of
the Milky Way are in Kepler's field of view, and they should find plenty of
planets-of all sizes. The question is: how many are earth-sized, and are
they in the life zone? It'll be interesting to see what they find...