The space epic "Interstellar," out in theaters this weekend, presents a dire vision for the future of humanity. Climate change has ravaged Earth, leaving humans with a choice: Go extinct or pack up and find a new home.
Should we ever find ourselves facing a real-life "Interstellar" dilemma, NASA might be able to help. The space agency has several ongoing and planned missions to scan the cosmos for Earth-like plants beyond our solar system, as well as to figure out how people might survive on a hostile alien world.
Astronomers had long theorized that they would find planets around other stars beyond the sun. But the first exoplanet discoveries were only confirmed in the 1990s. ['Interstellar' in Pictures: A Space Epic Gallery]
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