-->

• NASA's Kepler spacecraft is a mission that will search for Earth-like planets that could support life in the Milky Way galaxy. The Kepler spacecraft launched on March 6, 2009, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, at 10:49 p.m. EST.CNN.com: Spacecraft to Blast Off in Search of 'Earths' (March 6, 2009) The Kepler mission will last three-and-a-half years.Kepler Mission FAQ's

• Fast Facts

  1. Date of launch: Friday, March 6, 2009
  2. Launch time: 10:49 p.m. EST
  3. Launched from Cape Canaveral in FloridaCNN.com: Spacecraft to Blast Off in Search of 'Earths' (March 6, 2009)
  4. Contains a special telescope that will search for Earth-like planets
  5. The telescope will be able to continually observe 100,000 starsNutshell
  6. Kepler's telescope will observe stars in the Cygnus-Lyra region of our galaxyCNN.com: Spacecraft to Blast Off in Search of 'Earths' (March 6, 2009)
  7. Cost of mission: $600 millionMSNBC: The Tech Behind Nasa's Kepler Spacecraft (March 4, 2009)
  8. Named after astronomer Johannes Kepler
  9. Is the first mission to find planets like EarthMSNBC: The Tech Behind Nasa's Kepler Spacecraft (March 4, 2009)
  10. Europe's COROT telescope found the smallest terrestrial exoplanet in February 2009CNN.com: Spacecraft to Blast Off in Search of 'Earths' (March 6, 2009)
  11. Kepler astronomer Alan Boss said the Kepler telescope will be able to send back data that will help calculate the size, mass, temperature and other informationCNN.com: Spacecraft to Blast Off in Search of 'Earths' (March 6, 2009)
  12. The data would be analyzed by scientists to research possibly habitable planetsCNN.com: Spacecraft to Blast Off in Search of 'Earths' (March 6, 2009)
  13. Mission will end in 2013CNN.com: Spacecraft to Blast Off in Search of 'Earths' (March 6, 2009)

• Search for Earth Like Planets

  The Kepler telescope will settle into its orbits two days after the March 6, 2009 launch. The telescope's orbit will be beyond the Earth's orbit. The telescope will then monitor about 100,000 stars at once. It will not take pictures, but will end back data about the stars' brightness, size and atmosphere.Csmonitor.com: Kepler Mission to Hunt for Planets Just Our Size (March 5, 2009) NASA is looking for planets that orbit stars at a distance that would allow for liquid water. The mission will last until 2013.Globe and Mail: The Mission: Pinpoint Other Planets Like Earth (March 6, 2009)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  NASA | Dawn Mission | Hubble Space Telescope | Lisa Nowak | International Space Station | Moon | Earth | Kay Bailey Hutchison | Shuttle Launch | Phoenix Lander Photos | Ares Orion | Space Fashion | Shuttle Launch Cancelled | Astronauts | Astronaut Tool Bag Video | Mike Griffin | Seadragon Mobile | Dark Matter | NASA Rubber Duckies | Rebecca Griffin | Mars Phoenix Lander | Phoenix Lander Photos | Mars Rovers | Orbiting Carbon Observatory | How to Become an Astronomer

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page