I love the gee whiz factor of space exploration and the pure science is valuable for our nation. Yet how are we going to pay for it?
I am really skeptical of this method.
First, it requires the planets to be on a plane directly in line with earth. What are the chances of all the so called planets being in such perfect alignment with earth?
Second, it requires the planet to cross the star in the short time frame we are watching.
Third, what it that star had a huge sun spot appear, resulting in a temporary drop in light. Would that be counted as a planet?
https://nypost.com/2018/10/30/nasas-kepler-telescope-officially-declared-dead/
Already well past its expected lifetime, the 9 1/2-year-old Kepler had been running low on fuel for months. Its ability to point at distant stars and identify possible alien worlds worsened dramatically at the beginning of October, but flight controllers still managed to retrieve its latest observations. The telescope has now gone silent, its fuel tank empty.
Dawn Is Dead: NASA’s Pioneering Asteroid-Belt Mission Runs Out of Fuel
https://www.space.com/42322-nasa-dawn-mission-ceres-vesta-ends.html