If discovering planets that have been around for billions of years is the routine, NASA will also be a presence for some time. Of course, that's the colonialist version of discovery, like that of Christopher Columbus, finding something that wasn't known to a particular society or individual is a "discovery" for them. They were unaware of it but now know of it. It's been "discovered".
In this case the discovery is a big planet, at least in the view of NASA, with a surrounding atmosphere that contains methane, thought to be present only in an environment that includes life.
This is another benefit of the fabulous James Webb Space Telescope, discovering more interesting planets.
"But even if life is not confirmed, the implications remain extraordinary. This discovery demonstrates the capabilities of human ingenuity and the relentless drive to push boundaries. It proves that, as a species, we are capable of asking bold questions and seeking answers in the vast unknown. In many ways, the search for life beyond Earth is also a search for meaning".
Yeah, OK. A search for meaning. Meaning for most people is insuring enough food is on the table. The relentless drive to push boundaries is a search for the benefit of meaning even if no life is found in the perhaps infinite reaches of the cosmos. We wouldn't want to be some cosmic flotsam on the shore of the galaxy. That wouldn't have meaning. Astronomy is a religion.
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