A team of scientists is developing methods to search for signs of water in protoplanetary disks around distant stars. The method could help astronomers identify which extrasolar planets are more likely to contain water on their surfaces. Such information would ultimately aid astrobiologists in the search for habitable worlds beyond our solar system. The team hopes to use instruments such as the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to determine the composition of dust in extrasolar protoplanetary disks.