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Archived Features: March 2009 |
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KEPLER COMMISSIONING CONTINUES | March 31, 2009 |
 Now approaching 2.5 million km from Earth, the Kepler spacecraft continues its two-month commissioning period, during which its full science and engineering capabilities are being tested. Last week, Kepler entered safe mode upon encountering a software fault and high-voltage condition. Neither event has jeopardized the spacecraft, and ground operators are confident that the causes of the events are understood. For the next few days, Kepler will enter stand-by mode and execute additional engineering tests. The dust cover ejection and the subsequent 'first light' image are tentatively scheduled for next week. For frequent updates on the progress of the mission, visit: http://kepler.nasa.gov/about/news.html Image Credit: NASA/Kepler Mission |
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A TRUE-LIFE INDIANA JONES | March 31, 2009 |
 Full resolution Pete Jenniskens (SETI Institute) has recovered samples from a small asteroid impact in northern Sudan. With collaborators at Ames, he describes the analysis of the samples found in a March 26 cover story in NATURE. In addition to the science paper, a companion article describes the remarkable story of the discovery of the imminent impact before it happened, eyewitness accounts of the fireball, and the saga of combing the Nubian desert for fragments of this primitive body. For additional details, visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/ solarsystem/features/ asteroid_treasure_hunt.html Image Credit: NASA/SETI/P. Jenniskens |
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AMES SCIENTIST UNLOCKS MYSTERY OF SATURN MOON | March 31, 2009 |
 Dale Cruikshank used Cassini data to unlock a 30-year mystery about the
nature of a dark unknown substance on objects in the distant Solar System.
Studying the Saturnian moon Iapetus at near-infrared wavelengths, he
discovered organic hydrocarbons. For additional details, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/features/ 2009/identify_saturn_moon_sur faces.html Image Credit: NASA/KSC Full resolution |
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KEPLER COMMISSIONING PROCEEDING | March 23, 2009 |
 Approaching two million kilometers from Earth, the Kepler spacecraft
continues its two-month commissioning period during which its full science
and engineering capabilities will be tested. Among the activities scheduled
for the next week are: continued collection and analysis of "dark data"
(focal plane images with the dust cover closed) to calibrate future images,
and a test of sun avoidance maneuvers. These will be followed by a series
of critical events reviews prior to the dust cover ejection, currently
slated for March 28. "First light" for Kepler is scheduled for the
following day. For frequent updates on the progress of the mission, visit:
http://kepler.nasa.gov/about/news.html
Image Credit: NASA/KSC |
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KEPLER COMMISSIONING CONTINUES | March 17, 2009 |
 Now more than one million kilometers from Earth, the Kepler spacecraft continues its two-month commissioning period during which its full science and engineering capabilities will be tested. Among the activities scheduled for the next week are: an assessment of cosmic ray impacts on the focal plane array, continued collection of "dark data" (focal plane images with the dust cover closed) to calibrate future images, and a test of sun avoidance maneuvers. The next critical event is the ejection of the dust cover, anticipated to occur no earlier than March 27. For frequent updates on the progress of the mission, visit:
http://kepler.nasa.gov/about/news.html
Image Credit: NASA/KSC Full resolution |
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Kepler Launches! | March 10, 2009 |
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The Kepler spacecraft was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station in Florida aboard a Delta II rocket at 10:49pm (ET) on March
6. The spacecraft has begun a two-month commissioning period during which
its full science and engineering capabilities will be tested. Among the
activities scheduled for the next week are: X-band and Ka-band telemetry
checkouts at the Deep Space Network antenna sites, photometer initialization
and the acquisition of "dark" data sets. The spacecraft collects its first
astronomical data after ejection of the aperture cover, currently scheduled
for March 26. For frequent updates on the progress of the mission, visit:
http://kepler.nasa.gov/about/news.html Image Credit: NASA/KSC Full resolution |
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Kepler Set to Launch Tonight! | March 6, 2009 |
 The Kepler spacecraft and its Delta II rocket are "go" for a launch tonight that is expected to light up the sky along Florida's Space Coast at 10:49 p.m. EST as the rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Weather predictions remain good, with a 95 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time and a temperature of 64 degrees.Image Credit: NASA/KSC Full resolution |
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THE FAIRING INSTALLED AROUND KEPLER SPACECRAFT | March 2, 2009 |
The fairing (outer shell) is installed around the Kepler spacecraft on
Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The fairing
is a molded structure that fits flush with the outside surface of the rocket
and forms an aerodynamically smooth nose cone, protecting the spacecraft
during launch and ascent. The Kepler launch has been delayed one day to
March 6 to verify that there are no issues that can be traced to the recent
failure of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory to achieve orbit. The
three-minute Kepler launch window opens at 10.49 pm (ET).Image Credit: NASA/KSC Full resolution |
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