Just out of interest, what is the maximum time Kepler is expected to be operable?
Quote from: Ben the Space Brit on 11/15/2012 10:25 amJust out of interest, what is the maximum time Kepler is expected to be operable?Not sure but one thing I would say is that being as it has had some hardware issues of late I would bet that estimate of life expectancy would not be as long as if you had asked the people running it a year ago.
Can you expand on the "hardware issues"?
Kepler making world news:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20942440"Kepler telescope: Earth-sized planets 'number 17bn'"Exciting stuff
Quote from: Borklund on 01/08/2013 10:52 amKepler making world news:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20942440"Kepler telescope: Earth-sized planets 'number 17bn'"Exciting stuff Bit of misreporting there, IMO. The actual report talks about "Earth-sized planets in close orbits", so this really is talking about 'hot Earths', not potential Earth-like worlds.Unless you want to look for quartic crystal-based lifeforms that can survive in Venus-like conditions, that is...
Quote from: Ben the Space Brit on 01/08/2013 01:29 pmQuote from: Borklund on 01/08/2013 10:52 amKepler making world news:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20942440"Kepler telescope: Earth-sized planets 'number 17bn'"Exciting stuff Bit of misreporting there, IMO. The actual report talks about "Earth-sized planets in close orbits", so this really is talking about 'hot Earths', not potential Earth-like worlds.Unless you want to look for quartic crystal-based lifeforms that can survive in Venus-like conditions, that is...That depends entirely on what type and size star the Earth-sized planets orbit, no? The number is 1.7bn Earth-sized planets, not just potentially habitable Earth-sized planets. That said, there ought to be a fair number of potentially habitable planets among them.
Earlier this month during a semi-weekly contact with the spacecraft, the team detected an increase in the amount of torque required to spin one of the three remaining reaction wheels. This increase in friction occurred before the Jan. 11, 2013 quarterly roll, and persisted after the spacecraft roll and several momentum desaturations of the reaction wheels. Increased friction over a prolonged period can lead to accumulated wear on the reaction wheel, and possible wheel failure. To minimize wheel friction, the team implemented several mitigations including increased operating temperatures, higher spin rates, and bi-directional operation following the failure of reaction wheel #2 in July 2012.
Sad to see Kepler having problems. Arguably the best SMD mission I have watched from inception to launch and mission execution.
Sad to see Kepler having problems. Arguably the best SMD mission I have watched from inception to launch and mission execution.Quote from: Kepler ReportEarlier this month during a semi-weekly contact with the spacecraft, the team detected an increase in the amount of torque required to spin one of the three remaining reaction wheels. This increase in friction occurred before the Jan. 11, 2013 quarterly roll, and persisted after the spacecraft roll and several momentum desaturations of the reaction wheels. Increased friction over a prolonged period can lead to accumulated wear on the reaction wheel, and possible wheel failure. To minimize wheel friction, the team implemented several mitigations including increased operating temperatures, higher spin rates, and bi-directional operation following the failure of reaction wheel #2 in July 2012. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/news/keplerm-20130117.htmlVRRE327
Earlier this month during a semi-weekly contact with the spacecraft, the team detected an increase in the amount of torque required to spin one of the three remaining reaction wheels.