NASA - Kepler Mission Launch

NASA - Kepler mission launch blog;

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/launch/launch_blog.html

The Delta II rocket carrying the Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft lifted off on time at 10:49 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spectacular nighttime launch followed a smooth countdown free of technical issues or weather concerns.

Kepler's mission: to peer closely at a patch of space for at least three-and-a-half years, looking for rocky planets similar our own. The spacecraft will target an area rich with stars like our sun, watching for a slight dimming in the starlight as planets slip through the space between.

"Kepler is a critical component in NASA's broader efforts to ultimately find and study planets where Earth-like conditions may be present," said Jon Morse, the Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The planetary census Kepler takes will be very important for understanding the frequency of Earth-size planets in our galaxy and planning future missions that directly detect and characterize such worlds around nearby stars."

for more information and links;

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/main/index.html (NASA - Kepler Mission main page)

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/284769main_FS-Gen_1208_print.pdf (Mission Fact Sheet)

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Kepler-Mission/34648016222?ref=ts (Facebook Page)

http://twitter.com/NASAKepler (to follow updates at Twitter )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler_Mission (Wikipedia Page)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wrebcMwopo (another video by NASA that explains the main aspects of the mission)

http://www.youtube.com/NASATelevision (NASA Youtube Channel Page)

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA
• Kepler
• Mission
• Launch
• Earthlike
• Planets
• Star
• Sun
• Earth
• Habitable
• Goldilucks

[okemes26]

Wow...

"... on a search for planets in someway like our own."

It feels like its an unmanned Voyager spaceraft traveling to stars in search for intelligent beings.

Haha. Well, I know it's not possible in view of today's technology. But someday, maybe we will.

[www41WorldUSAcom]

NASA USA KEPLER Mission Launch

[yoonoose]

: )

[illuminatislut]

uf, I only believe that practical physics will overcom these 4 lowest dimensions one day.Too small results for so much efforts, today :/

[yoonoose]

i don't know actually, but when i look to the past, we've come a long way and there is so to the edge i guess., if there is an edge even exists :)

[illuminatislut]

I agree, but how far we can go that way?

[yoonoose]

sorry, no..science needs a whole study & research for the evidences. this is about searching for habitable planets like us, and after any spotted, more spesific researches will go on. spectrographing for water and so, or signaling if any technologic cultures existing there too. that's already probable, and we started to search from our own galaxy, many things will be more clear in 3,5 years time, i hope :)

[illuminatislut]

Actual gap between theoretical an practical physics is "only" 7 dimensions. do you consider that as an evidence? ;p

[yoonoose]

...i guess it's so wrong talking without evidences, that would just considered as making up.

[illuminatislut]

nearest galaxy with humanlike inteligent life is, unfortunatelly, NGC 300 - far around 7 Mly from here,

then also M82, NGC 5128 and NGC 4395