Kepler Telescope To Seek Out Earth-Like Planets

Since ancient times, humans have looked to the stars and wondered if we are alone in the universe. Scheduled for launch aboard a Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral FL on March 6, the US$550M Kepler space telescope will take the first step in answering this question. Dubbed as a 'planetary census taker,' the spacecraft will utilize the 'transit method' to search the Cygnus-Lyra region of our Milky Way Galaxy (BL) for Earth-sized planets residing in habitable zones. From its Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit, Kepler will use a specialized .95-meter telescope, called a photometer, with an array of 42 charge coupled devices (BR) to measure the brightness of over 100,000 stars simultaneously and constantly throughout its 3.5-year mission. By measuring the slight changes in the brightness of these stars caused by the transits, scientists will be able to estimate the size, orbit and temperature of the stars' planets. Kepler's telescope is able to register changes of brightness of only 20 parts per million, allowing it to detect much smaller worlds than the 342 Jupiter-sized planets discovered thus far. Potential planets that Kepler spots will be further researched by Earth-based observatories to rule out false positives. Kepler is a NASA Discovery mission managed by JPL, and developed by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Bill Borucki (CR) of NASA Ames is the mission's principal investigator. (Credit: NASA)

Scientists around the world are currently tackling a multitude of human-induced environmental issues. Recent events highlight the fact that humanity's environmental impact extends beyond the confines of our atmosphere and, if left unchecked, may threaten our continued access to space. Space junk is made up of a variety of objects launched into space since the 1950s. There are now over 600,000 objects larger than 1 cm orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 30,000 km / hour. The prevalence of debris also multiplies when objects collide and / or explode in orbit, as occurred on Feb 10 when the deactivated Russian spacecraft Kosmos-2251 collided with the American Iridium 33 satellite creating over 700 pieces of debris. A theory known as the Kessler Syndrome predicts that collisions such as this could increase exponentially, ultimately rendering space exploration and satellite operations unfeasible for several generations. There is no current international treaty mandating behavior which minimizes space debris. The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space however, did publish voluntary guidelines in 2007, which call for limiting the long-term presence of spacecraft and launch vehicles in LEO after the end of their mission. UN Office of Outer Space Affairs Director Mazlan Othman (TL) urged all member states to implement these guidelines during a subcommittee meeting in February. Researchers are also discussing possible means of cleaning up the space junk using aerogel (TR), lasers, collector barges, nets, foam panels, or tethers. (Credit: ESA, UN)