According
to a new statement released by NASA engineers, NASA's prolific Kepler
space telescope is nearing the end of its life. After finding over 2,300
confirmed planets across two missions, Kepler is low on fuel and will
run out within several months.
"Our current estimates are that Kepler's tank will run dry within
several months — but we've been surprised by its performance before! So,
while we anticipate flight operations ending soon, we are prepared to
continue as long as the fuel allows," Charlie Sobeck, system engineer
for the Kepler mission, said in a NASA statement.
"The Kepler team is planning to collect as much science data as possible
in its remaining time and beam it back to Earth before the loss of the
fuel-powered thrusters means that we can't aim the spacecraft for data
transfer," he added. "We even have plans to take some final calibration
data with the last bit of fuel, if the opportunity presents itself."
Kepler
launched in 2009 in the search for planets beyond our solar system. For
four years, it watched the face of stars for the telltale signs of
dimming, hinting at an exoplanet crossing its parent star. Yet in 2013,
three of of Kepler's four gyroscopes (its 'wheels') failed. Instead, the
spacecraft relied on an intuitive solution of using the pressure of the
solar wind to maintain its position, extending its mission for a few
more years.
Read more about this fascinating story at: https://www.space.com/40008-kepler-planet-hunter-running-out-of-fuel.html
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Tuesday, March 20, 2018
NASA Kepler Spacecraft Is About to Run Out of Fuel
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