NASAJPL

NASA's Kepler/K2 is currently observing TRAPPIST-1! The spacecraft has been monitoring the brightness of the star since December 15, 2016 and will continue to do so until March 04, 2017. That's over 70 days of data. Scientists will be able to define the orbital period of the 7th planet. They may also be able to see a turnover (or reversal) in the transit timing variations which will allow scientists to refine the planet mass estimates. Perhaps we'll even find additional transiting planets. The raw data will be placed in the public archive immeiately after the observing campaign finishes. It should be available to community by March 6th. This is one of the many ways that scientists will be studying the TRAPPIST-1 system. - Natalie Batalha, Kepler Project Scientist

https://keplerscience.arc.nasa.gov/raw-data-for-k2-campaign-12-to-be-released-after-downlink.html

We do not yet have a protocol. Most likely we will make a tentative discovery, that will take longer to confirm. SS

It's part of our charter that NASA "provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof," so, yes, we would inform the public. -- Stephanie

Here's a link to the charter: https://www.nasa.gov/offices/ogc/about/space_act1.html

The next step is to look for more locations where brine flows may occur. We have covered 3% of Mars at resolutions high enough to see these features. -RZ

Presently, NASA is looking into the possibility of sending humans to the vicinity of Mars in the early 2030s. In this scenario, the earliest humans to the surface would be in the late 2030s. -RZ