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NASA Retires Kepler Space Telescope


Waspie_Dwarf

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NASA Retires Kepler Space Telescope, Passes Planet-Hunting Torch

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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.

arrow3.gif  Read More: NASA

 

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I always hate when they are still working but run out of fuel. 

Kind of like death :( 

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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 by qxcontinuum
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Would it have been in an orbit where it could conceivably have been re-fueled ?

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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 by toast
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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 ? 

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1 minute ago, Habitat said:

Where is it ? 

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... in a safe orbit around the Sun and 94M miles away from Earth ...

 

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Yeah, I saw that, so beyond the orbit of Mars ? Why was it sent that far away ?

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38 minutes ago, Habitat said:

Yeah, I saw that, so beyond the orbit of Mars ?

Sun-Mercury-Venus-Earth/Kepler-Mars.

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Why was it sent that far away ?

Look:

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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 by toast
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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. 

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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 by qxcontinuum
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Is/was  this the only platform available for spying exoplanets ?

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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).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Kepler Telescope Bids 'Goodnight' with Final Commands

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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.

arrow3.gif  Read More: NASA/JPL

 

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