Each day we get the joy of being hearing great and inspiring news that makes us proud and happy Lebanese citizens.

From going international with Fashion to literally reaching for the stars and entering the Milky Way.

We all heard of the amazing uncovering that was made in discovering 7 Earth - like planets, however, did you know who helped in NASA with this discovery?!

You'll be pleased to know and meet our own beloved George Helou who is a leading scientist at NASA.

He said and we quote: "Like many astronomers, I was captivated by the stars at a tender age. Over the mountains of Lebanon the skies were dark, the stars intense, and the Milky Way mesmerizing. The fascination slowly turned into a career path as Math and Physics became increasingly fun topics, books promised infinite vistas of discovery, and college at the American University of Beirut brought me into modern physics and closer to graduate school. Twenty-eight years almost to the day before the launch of SIRTF, I arrived in the U.S. to study for a Ph.D. in astronomy at Cornell University. Cornell was an exciting place, with a lot going on, from radio astronomy to the Viking landings. I enjoyed being around all this, and tried to get involved in as many things as possible. But even though I worked with Carl Sagan one summer, I did not see space science as a serious career option."

Helou visited Lebanon in November 2011, where he was presented with the Coat of Arms of the Presidency - a prestigious award - by then President Michel Sleiman.

His work was celebrated by some 400 attendees at the UNESCO palace in Beirut during the ceremony.

Later on, Helou visited his alma mater, the American University of Beirut, as well as Notre Dame University in Louaize and the Lebanese National Military Academy.

He then added: "Today I feel fortunate to participate in this heady mixture of technology, imagination, excellence and team work, all fueled by a most basic human drive, curiosity about our world. Above the atmosphere the sky is cold, the galaxies infrared-bright, and the soft glow of the distant universe mesmerizing."

In fact, we're the ones that feel fortunate to see so many Lebanese people going great places and contributing to so many success.

Sources: http://legacy.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/p_georgehelou.shtml and http://stepfeed.com/meet-the-lebanese-scientist-who-helped-nasa-discover-7-earth-like-planets-1599