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Illustration by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope artist, who has discovered about 70% of all known exoplanets to date.
Source: NASA
NASA's iconic space telescope, Kepler, which has discovered 70% of the 3,750 exoplanets known to date, is so little fuel-powered that the agency has been able to use it. has hibernated. As the authorities of the agency announced today (July 6).
NASA has taken the necessary steps to ensure that Kepler has enough fuel to transmit its latest data to its managers early next month. [Kepler’s 7 Greatest Exoplanet Discoveries (So Far)]
"To bring the data home, the spacecraft must return its large antenna to Earth and transmit the data during its assigned time Deep Space Network, scheduled for early August," wrote NASA officials . . (The Deep Space Network is the worldwide network of radio telescopes that NASA uses to communicate with its distant spacecraft.)
"Until then, the spacecraft will remain stable and parked in a safe mode for use of fuel "they added. "On August 2, the team will order the spacecraft to wake up from its fuel-free state and to maneuver the spacecraft to the right orientation and to link the data."
The Kepler mission launched in March 2009 aims to help astronomers determine how similar Earth-like planets are common throughout the Milky Way galaxy. The spaceship finds extraterrestrial worlds via the "transit method", noting the tiny loss of luminosity caused by the fact that the orbiting planets cross the face of a star from Kepler's point of view.
Kepler was a huge success. For example, in addition to its impressive gross world record (which will increase significantly, scientists are still verifying more than 2,000 planets detected by Kepler), spacecraft observations suggest that about 20% of stars look like to an earthly planet. in the habitable zone – this range of just distances where liquid water could exist on the surface of the world.
During his first mission, Kepler simultaneously watched about 150,000 stars, looking for promising transits. This work lasted until May 2013, when the second of four spacecraft maintenance reaction wheels failed. The engineers found a way to stabilize Kepler using sun pressure, and in 2014, the spacecraft embarked on an extended mission called K2.
Kepler continues to search for exoplanets during K2, but studies a variety of other celestial objects. and the phenomena as well. Kepler accomplishes this expanded mission work during "campaigns" of about 80 days, each with a slightly different purpose.
Kepler has completed 18 K2 campaigns to date. If there is enough fuel left after the August 2 phone call, Campaign 19 will begin Aug. 6, NASA officials said.
The fuel situation is not a big surprise; NASA announced in March that Kepler was starting to fail and should probably stop operating in a few months. Refueling the spaceship is not an option; Kepler orbits the sun, not the Earth, and he is currently millions of kilometers from our planet
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+ . Follow us on @Spacedotcom Facebook or Google+ . Originally published on Space.com .
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