The original launch was postponed several times due to equipment failure and bad weather, but NASA has finally lifted its latest project off the ground. The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is a solar-powered satellite and infrared telescope that will map the entire sky in greater detail than any device before it--even the famed Hubble Space Telescope.but science writers are already envisioning what WISE's might find.
Killer Asteroids :
One of WISE's chief goals will be cataloging (relatively) near-earth asteroids with the hopes of avoiding a catastrophic impact in the future: "A killer space rock heading for Earth is not just the stuff of Hollywood action movies and science fiction stories. The threat is real and getting a better handle on near-Earth asteroids could ease some concerns by scientists that NASA had not been doing enough.
Extra Planets :
WISE Telescope could resurrect some out-of-vogue theories: "There was a theory about 20 years ago, based on gravitational observations, that there was a giant planet called Nemesis way out beyond Pluto,"
Closer Stars :
"WISE will be able to detect stars much dimmer than the Sun. These brown dwarfs, many of which have yet to be discovered, should be readily apparent to the WISE instrument, and of course we hope for one that ranks as the closest star to the Earth. And beyond all this, WISE will be able to produce a global map of the galaxy and its associated dust."
Aliens :
"It'll be used to detect light- and heat-emitting objects that the Hubble might miss. Such as spaceships!
High Resolution Images :
WISE mission will be such a drastic improvement over NASA's previous attempts to map the sky: "WISE will perform an infrared all-sky survey at much higher resolution and sensitivity than any previous IR surveys."