Waspie_Dwarf Posted October 30, 2018 #1 Share Posted October 30, 2018 NASA Retires Kepler Space Telescope, Passes Planet-Hunting Torch Quote After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets – more planets even than stars – NASA’s Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations. NASA has decided to retire the spacecraft within its current, safe orbit, away from Earth. Kepler leaves a legacy of more than 2,600 planet discoveries from outside our solar system, many of which could be promising places for life. Read More: NASA 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daughter of the Nine Moons Posted October 31, 2018 #2 Share Posted October 31, 2018 This made me a little sad to read. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OverSword Posted October 31, 2018 #3 Share Posted October 31, 2018 bummer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Not A Rockstar Posted October 31, 2018 #4 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I always hate when they are still working but run out of fuel. Kind of like death Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qxcontinuum Posted November 1, 2018 #5 Share Posted November 1, 2018 (edited) And has become another piece of space junk. With a bit of fuel left why not heading it to Earth to burn in atmosphere as such? Edited November 1, 2018 by qxcontinuum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitat Posted November 1, 2018 #6 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Would it have been in an orbit where it could conceivably have been re-fueled ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toast Posted November 1, 2018 #7 Share Posted November 1, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, qxcontinuum said: And has become another piece of space junk. With a bit of fuel left why not heading it to Earth to burn in atmosphere as such? For what reasons do you think should an object that's in a safe orbit around the Sun and 94M miles away from Earth, sent back to Earth and endanger other Earth orbiting, artificial objects during approach and reentry? Why should NASA waste fuel for such a stupid stunt and reduce the time of operation of Kepler`s key mission? Do you know the exact meaning of the term "space debris/junk"? Curious. Edited November 1, 2018 by toast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitat Posted November 1, 2018 #8 Share Posted November 1, 2018 2 minutes ago, toast said: For what reasons do you think should an object that's in a safe orbit around the Sun and 94M miles away from Earth, sent back to Earth and endanger other Earth orbiting, artificial objects during approach and reentry? Why should NASA waste fuel for such a stupid stunt and reduce the time of operation of Kepler`s key mission? Curious. Where is it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toast Posted November 1, 2018 #9 Share Posted November 1, 2018 1 minute ago, Habitat said: Where is it ? Quote ... in a safe orbit around the Sun and 94M miles away from Earth ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitat Posted November 1, 2018 #10 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Yeah, I saw that, so beyond the orbit of Mars ? Why was it sent that far away ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echoes Posted November 1, 2018 #11 Share Posted November 1, 2018 It's sad to see such a brilliant achievement simply cease to amaze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toast Posted November 1, 2018 #12 Share Posted November 1, 2018 (edited) 38 minutes ago, Habitat said: Yeah, I saw that, so beyond the orbit of Mars ? Sun-Mercury-Venus-Earth/Kepler-Mars. Quote Why was it sent that far away ? Look: Quote Kepler is in a heliocentric (Sun-centered) orbit. Kepler’s orbit was chosen to enable continuous observation of the target stars. This requires that the field of view of Kepler never be blocked. For a spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, nearly half of the sky is blocked by the Earth and the obscured region is constantly changing. The most energy efficient orbit beyond Earth orbit is a heliocentric (Sun centered) Earth-trailing orbit. An Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit with a period of 371 days provides the optimum approach to maintaining a stable trajectory that keeps the spacecraft within telecommunications capability. Another advantage of this orbit is that it has a very-low disturbing torque on the spacecraft, which leads to a very stable pointing attitude. The spacecraft must execute a 90 degree roll every 3 months to reposition the solar panels to face the Sun while keeping the instrument aimed at the target field of view. See animation. Not being in Earth orbit means that there are no torques due to gravity gradients, magnetic moments or atmospheric drag. The largest external torque then is that caused by light from the sun. This orbit also avoids the high-radiation dosage associated with an Earth orbit, but is subject to energetic particles from cosmic rays and solar flares. link Edited November 1, 2018 by toast 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kartikg Posted November 1, 2018 #13 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Hope many more such are launched, since Kepler the ccd technology has developed a lot more and if launched today it should be able to detect more planets. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qxcontinuum Posted November 2, 2018 #14 Share Posted November 2, 2018 (edited) 19 hours ago, toast said: For what reasons do you think should an object that's in a safe orbit around the Sun and 94M miles away from Earth, sent back to Earth and endanger other Earth orbiting, artificial objects during approach and reentry? Why should NASA waste fuel for such a stupid stunt and reduce the time of operation of Kepler`s key mission? Do you know the exact meaning of the term "space debris/junk"? Curious. I had no idea actually. I thought it was in Earth's orbit. Edited November 2, 2018 by qxcontinuum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitat Posted November 2, 2018 #15 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Is/was this the only platform available for spying exoplanets ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted November 2, 2018 Author #16 Share Posted November 2, 2018 3 hours ago, Habitat said: Is/was this the only platform available for spying exoplanets ? No. There was a French satellite called CoRot which operated between 2006 and 2013. In April NASA launched the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). ESA will soon launch the CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS). Also ground based telescopes are used in discovering and researching exoplanets, most notably the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted November 16, 2018 Author #17 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Kepler Telescope Bids 'Goodnight' with Final Commands Quote On the evening of Thursday, Nov. 15, NASA's Kepler space telescope received its final set of commands to disconnect communications with Earth. The "goodnight" commands finalize the spacecraft's transition into retirement, which began on Oct. 30 with NASA's announcement that Kepler had run out of fuel and could no longer conduct science. Coincidentally, Kepler's "goodnight" falls on the same date as the 388-year anniversary of the death of its namesake, German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who discovered the laws of planetary motion and passed away on Nov. 15, 1630. Read More: NASA/JPL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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