QUICK TAKES - April 2, 2009

Actor Morgan Freeman is teaming with the Science Channel to make a series on space exploration that is expected to air on the cable network early next year.

The series, “Through the Wormhole,” will look into such topics as the possibility of life beyond Earth, future expeditions to Mars and problems caused by the sun.

Freeman is an astronomy enthusiast who unsuccessfully tried a space-oriented website several years ago. He will narrate the series. The Science Channel is making the episodes with Revelations Entertainment, Freeman’s production company.

The Science Channel is trying to drum up interest in its programming with celebrity participation, said Deborah Adler-Myers, its programming chief. Whoopi Goldberg is working on a science-oriented game due to launch in October, and Will Smith has tried to boost participation in the network’s Young Scientists’ Challenge.