Kepler space telescope to shut down soon
NASA puts Kepler into hibernation to ensure the telescope has enough fuel to send new information back to Earth.
|
The Kepler space telescope has made a great contribution to space science. Photo: NASA. |
Kepler, the space telescope that discovered 70 percent of the 3,750 known exoplanets, is so low on fuel that NASA has put it into a hibernation-like state.SpaceThis is to ensure Kepler has enough fuel to send back the latest data early next month.
To transmit data, the telescope must point its largest antenna toward Earth and transmit during its allotted Deep Space Network (DSN) time slot in early August, NASA said. The DSN is a radio telescope system NASA uses to exchange information with spacecraft or telescopes operating in space.
Until then, Kepler will remain in a safe, fuel-free state. On August 2, the team will wake up the telescope, steer it in the right direction, and transmit data to Earth.
Kepler was launched in March 2009 with the goal of helping astronomers discover Earth-like planets in the Milky Way. The telescope finds exoplanets by looking for changes in light as they pass across the surface of their host star.
During its primary mission, Kepler observed about 150,000 stars simultaneously, looking for changes in light. This continued until May 2013, when the telescope’s second flywheel failed. Engineers found a way to stabilize Kepler, and in 2014 the telescope began an extension mission called K2.
With K2, Kepler continues to search for exoplanets and study many other celestial bodies and phenomena. It conducts campaigns lasting about 80 days, each with a slightly different focus. Kepler has completed 18 such campaigns. If there is enough fuel left after August 2, campaign 19 will begin on August 6, according to NASA.
NASA announced in March that Kepler was running out of fuel and could be shut down in a few months. Refueling is not possible because the telescope orbits the Sun, far away from Earth.
