I understand all that, I’m just more concerned with the credibility of the scientists with the word “Earthlike” being thrown around.
I am very confident. NASA/Kepler and the data it sends back will make this a reality.
The transit method that Kepler telescope uses also makes it possible to study the atmosphere of the transiting planet. When the planet transits the star, light from the star passes through the upper atmosphere of the planet. By studying the high-resolution stellar spectrum carefully, one can detect elements present in the planet’s atmosphere. A planetary atmosphere (and planet for that matter) could also be detected by measuring the polarisation of the starlight as it passed through or is reflected off the planet’s atmosphere.