![]() Of that total, the science team has picked some 300,000 that are of the right age, composition, and brightness to host Earth-like planets. Trailing the Earth in its orbit around the sun, Kepler will aim a 95-megapixel camera on a patch of sky the size of an outstretched hand that contains more than 4.5 million detectable stars. The Delta 2 record now stands at 139 successful missions against just two failures.Įngineers will spend about two months checking out and calibrating Kepler's complex systems before the mission begins in earnest. This was the 339th Delta rocket launched since 1960, the 141st upgraded Delta 2 rocket, and the 86th successful Delta launch in a row dating back to January 1997. local time with a crackling roar and a torrent of fire that briefly turned night into day along Florida's coast. ![]() The Kepler spacecraft's three-and-a-half-year mission began on time at 10:49:57 p.m. It's the next step in mankind's exploration of the galaxy." "Are Earths frequent or are they rare? And this gives us that answer. "I think people everywhere want to know whether, with all the stars out there, do they have planets that are Earth-sized?" said principal investigator William Borucki of NASA's Ames Research Center. ![]() The Kepler spacecraft vaulted away from Cape Canaveral late Friday, boosting a powerful space telescope into orbit around the sun for a $591 million mission to search for Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars. Kepler lifts off Friday night in Florida. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |