NASA ready to launch planet hunting telescope

At the Hazardous Processing Facility at Astrotech in Titusville, the suspended Kepler spacecraft is moved toward a Delta II third stage February 16, 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – A NASA telescope was cleared to launch on Friday on a mission to look for Earth-like planets around other stars and determine whether there are places that could support human-like life beyond our solar system.

Liftoff of the Kepler telescope is scheduled for 10:49 p.m. EST on Friday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

“This is a historical mission,” NASA’s space science chief Ed Weiler told reporters on Thursday. “It really attacks some basic human questions that have been asked since that first man or woman looked up in the sky and asked, ‘Are we alone?’”

Once in orbit, Kepler will be aimed at a star-rich swath of sky between the constellations Cygnus and Lyra in our own Milky Way galaxy. The telescope has two main tasks on its three-year mission: Stare at the stars and stay still.        Breaking News

Winslow traded to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Browns traded talented but troublesome tight end Kellen Winslow on Friday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for undisclosed draft picks.

Winslow’s five years in Cleveland were marked by injuries and controversy. He missed most of his first two seasons with injuries, but made the Pro Bowl in 2007 after making 82 catches for 1,106 yards. He demanded a new contract after the ’07 season.

Last season, he was briefly suspended by the Browns after being hospitalized with a staph infection.

Winslow was the sixth overall pick in the 2004 draft. The son of Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr., he had 219 receptions for 2,459 yards and 11 touchdowns in 44 games.

While there is no denying Winslow’s skills or toughness, his injuries prevented the outspoken former University of Miami All-American from fulfilling his immense potential in Cleveland. He missed the entire 2005 season with a knee injury after he crashed his motorcycle while doing stunts in a parking lot.        Breaking News

Economic crisis hits once fast-running NASCAR

For the first time in years, sport’s biggest race struggles to fill every seat

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Reggie Jenkins stands on a corner across from the entrance outside turn four at Daytona International Speedway with a homemade sign that reads “Buy/Sell Tickets.”

The 47-year-old scalper has been working this spot in early February for almost a decade. It’s usually prime real estate as thousands of fans make their way from the adjacent parking lots into the home of the Daytona 500.

This year, though, things are different. Here it is Friday afternoon, barely 48 hours before the green flag drops in NASCAR’s Super Bowl, and business is decidedly slow.        Breaking News