March 5, United States Air
Days Board (NASA) will launch the Kepler spacecraft to complete the first category to look for extrasolar habitable planets mission.
According to the schedule, the evening of March 5, local time 22:48 (GMT at 3:48 on March 6), Kepler -2 detectors will be aboard the Delta launch vehicle, from the United States is located in southeastern Florida Florida's Cape Canaveral launch.
This is the United States Space Agency arrangements designed to look for the first time, type of mission to rock the planet, NASA Kepler detectors are available for the discovery of planets similar to Earth's environment a key factor in the efforts.
The number of extrasolar planet? Almost no answer until now because of the current astronomical observations are not sufficient to detect these "special" planet.
However, with the March 5, 2009 the United States Space Agency (NASA) Kepler Space Telescope into space, we will be behind these "special" Planet of the veil.
The original methods of observation flawed
"We all hope that many of these planets exist," "Kepler," the Chief Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center Lucky (William Borucki) said, "If there is lot of extrasolar Earth's existence, then you may have a lot of lives. there is perhaps even extraterrestrial civilization is waiting for us and their contact. "
By ground-based telescopes on the observation of gravitational lensing, and in 2006 launched the "coronation" extraterrestrial planetary probes of planetary observation Ling stars have been found two slightly larger than the Earth extrasolar planets. The two rocks may be composed of the quality of the planets around the Earth several times, all around the red dwarf star Gliese 581 rotation. Both have at least a Livable zone is located, but very close to the edge of Livable belt, it is still difficult to determine their surface if there is any liquid water exist.
The crux of the matter found that the current method of planets. Most of the extrasolar planets are through "Velocity" method was found, through looking for stellar spectra may be due to the planet's gravitational effects arising from the cyclical nature of sports signals to detect them. However this method is the quality of the Earth and similar planets are not sensitive to low-quality.
Two major advantages, more sensitive observations
"Kepler" is designed to look for these "lost" world. It through the monitoring of more than 100,000 stars of the cyclical changes in brightness, will be able to appear in the stars and planets, "Kepler" between the time to discover it.
"Kepler" will be far away from the Earth's orbit around the sun turning in order to avoid interference from the Earth Observing it. This makes it at three and a half years uninterrupted observation area with one days. In contrast, "coronation" is rotating around the Earth, the Earth will be blocked so it's attention. At the same time in order to avoid the effects of sunlight on the observation, so "coronation" of the district with the longest one days duration was only five months of continuous observation.
Because of the monitoring objectives can be a long time, "Kepler" at least three times to see a one-year orbit cycle of Planet Ling stars. This is to confirm these cyclical case Strict observation for at least the required number, which can rule out the brightness of stars such as interfering factors such as their own fluctuation.
At the same time, "Kepler" will than the "coronation" is much more sensitive. Its effective diameter of 95 centimeters, are "coronation" of 3.5 times. This makes the size of it can be seen only half of the Earth, and Mars is almost big planet.
Telescope twice a week contact
Stonehenge from the University of Colorado City Campus Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) of 20 students and 16 groups of experts, will study at the University of Colorado LASP Space Technology Park manipulation Kepler telescope building at Florida Cape Canaveral launch.
LASP mission operation and data analysis director said that the University of Colorado at boulder City Campus mission operations team is the co-operation and Bell companies. Bell created a Kepler telescope --- the main components of a one meter diameter Large Telescope and many photosensitive microchip as well as the Kepler telescope flight systems and the operation of this mission to support the work.
Once the Kepler telescope, enter the stage of planet hunting, LASP Kepler mission control team will contact this week, the two telescopes to monitor the above with the apparatus, including sensors, battery positioning control system, voltage and temperature as well as load instruction. Possehl said that the telescope will be so point to the Earth once per month, the data "dump" to the United States Space Agency are located in the Earth near the equator of the deep space network, and then, these data will be transferred to the University of Colorado boulder City Campus Atmospheric and Space Physics Laboratory, the transmission will continue to work sometimes 36-48 hours.
Then, LASP these data to the United States Academy of Sciences, Baltimore, Space Telescope, and then by the NASA Ames Research Center of the scientific analysis of data.
Look forward to, "Kepler," respondents
No one knows, "Kepler," able to detect the number of stars and planets similar to earth, but found substantial and Jupiter-sized extrasolar planets should be not to mention the. Around 15%% of the category of solar-type stars will have planets wood. Jupiter necessary because of the formation of many substances, so said: "We consider the formation of Jupiter than in many rare earth."
No matter, "Kepler" discovered what would make detection of extrasolar planets into the next era. If terrestrial planets are ubiquitous, so future plans will be examined in detail whether one of aerobic existence and life, as well as other relevant evidence.
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are separately assess the "terrestrial planet finder" and "Darwin" program, which plans to launch in 2020 for the observation of stars is located in zone Livable planet. One of the main objectives of those who are observing the planet through the atmosphere light spectrum, in order to find and life-related chemical composition of oxygen and other signals.
Finally whether these plans will succeed depends entirely on the "Kepler." If eventually found terrestrial planets are ubiquitous, so in the next 15 years will certainly set off a careful study of these planets boom. However, if the "Kepler" Livable finally found with the terrestrial planets are very rare, then our observation can be at the limits of its resources may not fit the objectives of our research. The detection of terrestrial planets more distant plans, not only technically there are still a lot of obstacles, but also necessary to take a long time.
Now history, at least give us a chance to know extrasolar terrestrial planets are are rare. Ever since Copernicus put the Earth from the pull down the center of the universe after the Earth's position in the universe "deteriorating." But the Earth is one of the many planets in one, and in the discovery of hundreds of stars planets around other stars also appear after the solar system is not so special.
Whether the prevalence of the universe, the size and characteristics of both the Earth and similar planets? "Kepler" will answer for us.
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Europe's "coronation" extraterrestrial planetary probe
In the "Kepler" space telescope is focused on the discovery of the first extrasolar terrestrial planets real time, and should not be forgotten that previous plans. French construction of the "coronation" extraterrestrial planets discovered so far detector the smallest extrasolar planets.
Distance of 390 light-years distant, we Exo7b are the diameter of the Earth twice. Although it does not know exactly the quality and composition, but its density and the type of rock similar to terrestrial planets.
Its orbit is very close to the star, the public switch to cycle only 20 hours, are known to the public and to the planet's fastest. Its surface temperature is over 1000 ℃, can not carry life, but in this system is also very likely have other planets exist.
Benefited from the detailed design process and, of course, some luck, "coronation" performance beyond the expected. In the "coronation" of the data back hair and several hundred others left to interesting signals of large-scale follow-up to the observation and study of ground-based telescopes.
"Coronation" of the findings support the existence near the earth extrasolar terrestrial planets of the mind, which "Kepler" is concerned is good news. And "Kepler" may be able to find more other earth.
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