The Hubble space telescope isn't the only piece of equipment above our planet that can look deep into the universe at the direction of astronomers, but it's certainly the most famous. The next telescope that's expected to be as well-known as the Hubble is the James Webb Space Telescope, but it's not scheduled to launch until 2018. Here are just a few more telescopes that could be hovering above us and keeping astronomers busy.

• The US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) donated a couple of huge space telescopes to NASA. Instead of spying on earthlings, these telescopes could be outfitted with equipment to look for ETs in distant star systems. [url]
• A starshade fitted to a helium blimp could help astronomers pick out exoplanets more easily. The starshade blocks light from a parent star so that its orbiting planets can be detected directly. [url]
• NuSTAR is an orbiting space telescope that's looking for sources of high-energy X-rays that potentially come from black holes or radioactive material in supernova remnants. This telescope is still calibrating, but it should start collecting some cool data soon. [url]

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There's a lot we don't know about the universe. Until relatively recently, we weren't even sure how big the universe is. Telescopes looking deep into space have gathered a lot of interesting information, and we're finding all sorts of strange phenomena and types of extra-solar planets. Here are just a few cool tidbits about planets from far, far away.

• Nomad planets could be floating around our galaxy without orbiting a star in surprisingly large numbers. Based on some new estimates, there might be 100,000 times more nomad planets in the Milky Way than stars. [url]
• The Hubble telescope has found a totally new class of planet that is made of an enormous amount of water. Given the density of this waterworld, GJ1214b has more water than Earth and much less rockiness. [url]
• The Kepler Space Telescope has discovered over a thousand planets outside our solar system, and a few other star systems have interesting planetary orbit patterns. One "Kepler Object of Interest" (KOI) is a system in which there are planets that share the same orbit. In another KOI, all the planets circle their star in under a week. Strange, new worlds, indeed. [url]
• To discover more links on space exploration, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

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Telescopes have taught us a lot about the universe around us. As we collect more data from other stars and satellites, we might figure out the mysteries of Dark Matter and the probability of other lifeforms existing. Here are just a few cool telescope projects out there.

• SETI's Allen Telescope Array is going to be turned back on, thanks to donations from viewers like you. The SETIStars program raised over $200,000 and exceeded its funding goal. (But next year, they'll have to interrupt their broadcasts with another pledge drive...) [url]
• Nanosatellites could help look for Earth-like planets in other star systems. Pretty soon, there'll be femtosatellites, too. [url]
• The RadioAstron mission is creating a radio telescope that's larger that the Earth. But the project still needs to tackle a problem of collecting data at 144 megabits per second from multiple receivers on the ground. [url]
• To discover more links on space exploration, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

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There are plenty of discoveries that are impossible (or just a lot harder) to do without properly-equipped satellites orbiting over our heads. Good thing satellites are getting cheaper and more reliable to send up. (But too bad there's so much space junk above us.) Here are just a few cool satellite articles for your amusement.

• Satellite measurements of the upper atmosphere could lead to forecasting models for earthquakes. Days before a massive earthquake, detectable ionization and heat buildup in the atmosphere can be seen -- but it's still uncertain exactly what the mechanism for this is. [url]
• The Kepler telescope has taken stellar photo­metry to the next level -- and needs help to analyze all the data it's gathering. It sounds like amateur astronomers could have a decent chance at making some interesting discoveries... [url]
• Telescopes need to be calibrated, so there's a proposal to put a light bulb in orbit as a standard reference for light sources. Hubble and other space-based satellites already have internal references, but an orbiting light bulb could serve the same purpose for other telescopes and ground-based telescopes. [url]
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The search for intelligent life somewhere else in the universe hasn't turned up any positive results so far. But the universe is a big place -- and we haven't really been looking for that long. Here are some quick links on some projects that could help identify ETs.

• Funding for the Allen Telescope Array has been cut -- so its ability to help search for signs of extraterrestrial life is coming to an end -- unless more funding is raised. The telescope array could potentially be saved by a combination of donations and money from the US Air Force, but it could also just go into hibernation and never wake up again. [url]
• The Green Bank Telescope is trying to pick up the slack by looking for signs of life on 86 specific planetary systems. NASA's Kepler space telescope identified these 86 systems as being possibly Earth-like. [url]
• Mass spectrometry could detect life on Mars more reliably using lasers. Lasers, is there nothing you can't improve? [url]
• To discover more links on space exploration, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.