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PhastPhred Prince
Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 6017 Location: Northwest AR (USA)
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Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 7:27 am Post subject: Kepler News |
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http://newyork.newsday.com/nasa-kepler-spacecraft-may-be-doomed-1.5269525
NASA Kepler Spacecraft may be doomed
Published: May 15, 2013 4:08 PM
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://rt.com/news/kepler-telescope-crippled-malfunction-338/
Quote: | NASA’s Kepler telescope is currently operating without its stabilizing control wheel, which is necessary to point the device in the right direction. This being the second wheel to be lost, combined with Kepler’s location 40 million miles away from Earth, indicates the search for another large celestial body could be over.
Since Kepler was launched in 2009 it has found 132 confirmed planets and 2,700 “candidate” planets that need to be studied further, according to USA Today. Among the findings were three “Super-Earth” planets that, because of the star formation orbiting the bodies, could support life. |
http://youtu.be/vjw-ALu1BSE
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Gemjunkie Prince
Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Posts: 3519 Location: Earth, lately
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Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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They should'a bought the on site warranty! _________________
(older, before split CPID)
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JumpinJohnny Prince
Joined: 28 Mar 2013 Posts: 1247 Location: Western New Hamster
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Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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Don't give up yet... That #4 wheel hasn't moved in 8 months... that's a long time sitting at space variable (+&-) temps.
If 80 million miles is too far of a trip to take to squirt some WD-40 on it, then maybe jiggle it back & forth a few more times.
Hope it busts loose on it's own. The present stupidity and short sighted politics of the general populace isn't likely to approve of investing in a replacement any time soon.
This is far too important of a machine to just give up on... and maybe while we're at it,, approve of funding an ongoing mission... space is the best place for any telescopic instruments.
Too bad we have such difficulty getting the on site warranty coverage paid for. |
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JumpinJohnny Prince
Joined: 28 Mar 2013 Posts: 1247 Location: Western New Hamster
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 6:43 pm Post subject: Keplar Update |
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Quote: | Over the coming weeks, an anomaly response team (ART) will evaluate wheel recovery options. The ART includes members from NASA Ames, Ball Aerospace, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and UTC, the wheel manufacturer. This team has access to a broader reach of experts throughout NASA and industry, and will manage the wheel recovery efforts. |
I read this as, "We got a team of eggheads to figure the best way to jiggle the wheel."
Good luck to the "Anomaly Response Team". |
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JumpinJohnny Prince
Joined: 28 Mar 2013 Posts: 1247 Location: Western New Hamster
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Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 10:57 pm Post subject: Kepler contributes a nifty find. |
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Despite being one coconut shy of a full guidance system and without knowing the actual trajectory of an African Swallow...
Kepler has found the closest yet example of a (possibly) earth like planet.
It's only 150 light years away! So I'm off on a larch to have a look-see myself... smoke me a kipper for breakfast, I'll be back with the elderberry syrup.
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2015/01/16/three-nearly-earth-size-planets-found-orbiting-nearby-star/
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JumpinJohnny Prince
Joined: 28 Mar 2013 Posts: 1247 Location: Western New Hamster
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:53 am Post subject: Kepler goes into Ememgency Shutdown Mode |
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The Kepler Space Telescope technically finished its original mission in 2012, but because it was so successful — having discovered more than 1,000 confirmed exoplanets — it has been kept on duty studying young stars, supernovae and other astronomical objects.
After 6 years operational, Mission engineers discovered that the Kepler spacecraft was in emergency mode on Thursday April 7, 2016.
The spacecraft was operating as expected the last time contact was made, on April 4, 2016.
Because Kepler is now almost 75 million miles from Earth, it takes 13 minutes for a signal to travel to the spacecraft and back, making trouble shooting the problem difficult. _________________
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PhastPhred Prince
Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 6017 Location: Northwest AR (USA)
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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I think I read somewhere they last tried to Program it to 'turn around' somehow, and of COURSE they had to go and mess things up... _________________
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