Comments on: Kepler to run out of fuel in the coming months https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/kepler-to-run-out-of-fuel-in-the-coming-months/ Thu, 15 Mar 2018 23:03:55 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Edward https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/kepler-to-run-out-of-fuel-in-the-coming-months/#comment-1044683 Thu, 15 Mar 2018 23:03:55 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=50674#comment-1044683 Kepler was looking at a limited area of the sky. Its mission was a bit different than the TESS mission, which will look at more sky but will emphasize the nearer stars over the more distant stars.

The following Space News article is from January:
http://spacenews.com/a-changing-of-the-guard-in-nasas-hunt-for-exoplanets/

TESS, like Kepler, will look for exoplanets by detecting very small changes in brightness of stars as orbiting plans cross, or transit, their disks. But while Kepler initially examined a single, small area of the sky in an effort to determine the fraction of stars with planets, TESS will instead perform an all-sky survey, focused on the brightest stars nearest to Earth.

]]> By: wodun https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/kepler-to-run-out-of-fuel-in-the-coming-months/#comment-1044573 Wed, 14 Mar 2018 22:15:40 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=50674#comment-1044573 Wonder if the orbital dynamics would work for an MEV mission. But then again, maybe they don’t want to extend the lifespan because that just times up money and manpower that could be devoted to whatever they want to do next.

]]> By: Steve Earle https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/kepler-to-run-out-of-fuel-in-the-coming-months/#comment-1044561 Wed, 14 Mar 2018 20:37:23 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=50674#comment-1044561 Too bad they couldn’t get a refueling bot to it in time.

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