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Check out this site to see about the future of finding smaller planets around other stars. In 2003, they plan to launch the Space Technology 3 mission to validate the technology for the Space Interferometry Mission (2005), which should be able to look for smaller planets in other systems. The Terrestrial Planet Finder in 2011 should determine which of these smaller planets are Earth-like. Beyond that is Planet Imager, but, unfortunately, the technology for that one is neither available nor "on the immediate horizon".
------------------ "Their 'flower power' is no match for my glower power!" -C. Montgomery Burns, The Simpsons