NASA farewells to the Kepler Space Telescope, a pioneering space telescope that supports the discovery of thousands of planets outside the solar system. After working for a long time after the first four-year mission, the spacecraft eventually ran out of fuel.
The engineers realized that Kepler had run out of fuel earlier this summer. At that time, they temporarily turned to a safe mode, focusing on returning to the scientific data that Kepler collected safely on Earth. They are able to collect more data, but know that the spacecraft is almost on the road. Kepler has supplied enough fuel for more than six years.
Started in 2009 to find extrasolar planets called exoplanets. At that time, few alien planets were discovered, so the device went deep into unknown places. Kepler was a miracle of scientific engineering at launch. Investigate the planet for those transitions. When the planet passes between the stars and the earth, it is a small dip below the stars.
Kepler senior researcher William Boraki said at today’s press conference, “When the car is 100 miles away, it is like detecting a flea that skips the headlights of the car.”
Space Telescope End of Mission
However, in 2012, some spacecraft equipment caused spacecraft stability and failure. In the second year, the situation worsened and researchers worried that this was the end of the spacecraft. However, at the end of 2013, engineers proposed a solution to balance spacecraft using solar pressure. Using the sun, they can keep the spacecraft stable for 83 days. This development enabled NASA to begin a new mission on a spacecraft called K2.
More powerful telescopes return sharper and more detailed images than Kepler. Advances in computing technology have allowed scientists to choose to pass planets from data collected shortly after Kepler’s death. As more worlds are discovered, the image of our galaxy becomes sharper.
Kepler’s legacy is an extension of our understanding of the universe. NASA astrophysicist and director Paul Hertz said: “Thanks to Kepler, our thinking about the universe has changed. Kepler is not the last spaceship of NASA, but the first NASA A spaceship gives the world a new perspective on space.
Refractometer travel telescopes are the perfect telescopes for kids that looks like Kepler that can discover thousands of planets outside the solar system.