NASA saves its planet-hunting Kepler space telescope after it goes into emergency mode
- 8 years ago
BOULDER, COLORADO — Engineers spent a long weekend restoring functions on NASA's planet-hunting spacecraft after it powered down April 7 — just before the start of a new mission.
In updates posted on the NASA website, Kepler and K2 mission manager Charlie Sobeck wrote that during a scheduled check, it was discovered that the Kepler space telescope had gone into emergency mode.
While in this state, the spacecraft relies on its thrusters instead of its reaction wheels, depleting more of its fuel supply.
The emergency occurred hours before a planned maneuver to point the Kepler toward the center of the Milky Way as part of a new planet-hunting campaign. Named Campaign 9, the mission was aimed at spotting distant planets by watching for the temporary brightening of stars caused by a passing planet's gravity, an effect called gravitational microlensing.
Troubleshooting the Kepler was challenging given its distance. Nearly 75 million miles from earth, it takes 13 minutes for any signal to travel to the spacecraft and back, even at the speed of light.
Despite the slow communication, engineers were able to stabilize the spacecraft. It is currently in Point-Rest state, a more fuel-efficient mode.
The team will be conducting weeklong system checks to ensure the Kepler is healthy enough to return to science mode and begin the new campaign. They also hope to potentially find out what triggered the emergency.
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In updates posted on the NASA website, Kepler and K2 mission manager Charlie Sobeck wrote that during a scheduled check, it was discovered that the Kepler space telescope had gone into emergency mode.
While in this state, the spacecraft relies on its thrusters instead of its reaction wheels, depleting more of its fuel supply.
The emergency occurred hours before a planned maneuver to point the Kepler toward the center of the Milky Way as part of a new planet-hunting campaign. Named Campaign 9, the mission was aimed at spotting distant planets by watching for the temporary brightening of stars caused by a passing planet's gravity, an effect called gravitational microlensing.
Troubleshooting the Kepler was challenging given its distance. Nearly 75 million miles from earth, it takes 13 minutes for any signal to travel to the spacecraft and back, even at the speed of light.
Despite the slow communication, engineers were able to stabilize the spacecraft. It is currently in Point-Rest state, a more fuel-efficient mode.
The team will be conducting weeklong system checks to ensure the Kepler is healthy enough to return to science mode and begin the new campaign. They also hope to potentially find out what triggered the emergency.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
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