Magik in Space by MagikUnicorn
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Description
� � � Just Me with Special Lady Bug � � �
S P A C E � N E W S
Engineers have successfully ejected the dust cover from NASA's Kepler telescope, a spaceborne mission soon to begin searching for worlds like Earth.
"The cover released and flew away exactly as we designed it to do," said Kepler Project Manager James Fanson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "This is a critical step toward answering a question that has come down to us across 100 generations of human history -- are there other planets like Earth, or are we alone in the galaxy?"
Kepler, which launched on March 6 from Cape Canaveral , Fla. , will spend three-and-a-half years staring at more than 100,000 stars in our Milky Way galaxy for signs of Earth-size planets. Some of the planets are expected to orbit in a star's "habitable zone," a warm region where water could pool on the surface. The mission's science instrument, called a photometer, contains the largest camera ever flown in space -- its 42 charge-coupled devices (CCDs) will detect slight dips in starlight, which occur when planets passing in front of their stars partially block the light from Kepler's view.
The telescope's oval-shaped dust cover, measuring 1.7 meters by 1.3 meters (67 inches by 52 inches), protected the photometer from contamination before and after launch. The dust cover also blocked stray light from entering the telescope during launch -- light that could have damaged its sensitive detectors. In addition, the cover was important for calibrating the photometer. Images taken in the dark helped characterize noise coming from the instrument's electronics, and this noise will later be removed from the actual science data.
"Now the photometer can see the stars and will soon start the task of detecting the planets," said Kepler's Science Principal Investigator William Borucki at NASA's Ames Research Center , Moffett Field , Calif. "We have thoroughly measured the background noise so that our photometer can detect minute changes in a star's brightness caused by planets."
At 7:13 p.m. PDT on April 7, engineers at Kepler's mission operations center at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder , Colo. , sent commands to pass an electrical current through a "burn wire" to break the wire and release a latch holding the cover closed. The spring-loaded cover swung open on a fly-away hinge, before drifting away from the spacecraft. The cover is now in its own orbit around the sun, similar to Kepler's sun-centric orbit.
With the cover off, starlight is entering the photometer and being imaged onto its focal plane. Engineers will continue calibrating the instrument using images of stars for another several weeks, after which science observations will begin.
See an animation of the event at:
Taking the Lid Off Kepler Animation
Happy Easter All
Thanks
Magik
Comments (73)
Awesome looking image . That is cool that they did not have any problems with the cover
Veray cute scene. Fantastic image!!
Very cool work Magik, love the idea.....have a wonderful and happy easter weekend my friend.
Very creative. Made me smile!
lol....beautiful image.Love the mood.
awww very sweet HAPPY EASTER mon ami :)
Fanstastic photo
love the scene...beautiful image & colori...Bravissimo my friend...un augurio di una felice Pasqua..!!!!
Oh this is soo cute, and full of fun, thanks for the smile today Magik! hugs Jane xx
Oh comme c'est mignon !! Tu es en bonne compagnie dans l'espace ^-^
Very cute and creative work! Happy Easter to you also :)
Really a cute composition. Looks superb!
Wonderful composition,like it a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great idea and picture erland
Adorably done! :o) Interesting info, thanks. A Happy and safe Easter to you and yours! :o)
Very creative and so cute!! :O)) Love this great idea! Excellent Work and image!
Fun image Magik!!! :)
Très Jolie composition !! bravo !!
Very nice!
Both look Cute...;) Cool Job Magik, and Happy Easter....;)
nice little friend you have and great u got into the action
Trés mignon et amusant :D
Fantastique travail mon ami.....!!!!
we deream... we dream of that beyond our understanding, beyond our ken.... to a point in ewxistance where we can say that we are not alone, that we have cousins "out there" who also wonder and dream beyond their understanding, beyond their ken..... time to look beyond... cool image!
Soberbo, texto e criação, uma criatividade extraordinária meu amigo, aplausos (5)
Nice work MU!!
Cute!
super done . a spacweman you are now
Super idée !! Joyeuses Pâques !!
Lol... Très créatif et mignon. J'adore la compo. Très belle idée, Magik :0)