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ЦитироватьNASA_TESS‏ @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) · Jan 9 (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/950520468523704320)

@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) successfully completed vibration and environmental testing that mirrors the conditions that the observatory will face at launch and in space. After testing was completed, the #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) cameras were checked and successfully passed!

ЦитироватьJeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust) · 15h (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/950787077863559169)

George Ricker of MIT, at a seminar at #AAS231 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AAS231?src=hash), says the TESS spacecraft will ship from Orbital ATK to KSC in about a month, launch in March "according to the current plan" (no earlier than March 20).

ЦитироватьTESS Undergoes Integration and Testing

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220765.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Published on 8 Feb 2018

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system, including those that could support life. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. TESS will survey 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun to search for transiting exoplanets. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2018.

Цитировать(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/954170133504806913/9gxWUBMb_bigger.jpg)Tom Barclay‏Verified account @mrtommyb (https://twitter.com/mrtommyb) 1h ago (https://twitter.com/mrtommyb/status/964217136267874304)

TESS is at @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy)!! Also, a launch date update: now no earlier than April 16.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/173826.jpg)

ЦитироватьAbout TESS

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system, including those that could support life. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. TESS will survey 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun to search for transiting exoplanets. The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than April 16, 2018, and no later than June 2018.
...

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 8h ago (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/964282467795505153)

Launch of NASA's @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) (@TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT)) exoplanet hunting satellite on a #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) rocket has slipped from 20 March to NET 16 April 2018 and has changed launch pads from LC-39A to SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral. More time was needed for ground processing.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg)Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust) 9h ago (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/964272551512993792)

Explanation from NASA for the TESS launch slip: "SpaceX requested additional time for hardware readiness and to meet NASA launch service mission requirements."

ЦитироватьExoplanet-hunting satellite arrives in Florida for April launch
February 16, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143936.jpg)
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is pictured inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after arriving Feb. 12. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final testing, fueling and attachment to a Falcon 9 launcher for liftoff in mid-April, a delay of nearly one month to allow SpaceX additional time to prepare the rocket for the mission.

Once launched, TESS will scan the sky with four wide-field astronomical cameras, searching for periodic dips in the brightness of more than 200,000 of the nearest and brightest stars. The dimming is a tell-tale sign of a planet passing in front of the star.

The spacecraft arrived at the Florida launch base Monday after a truck shipment from its Orbital ATK factory in Dulles, Virginia. Engineers and technicians will prep TESS for launch inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy, the same clean room used by NASA's Cassini, New Horizons, Mars rovers, OSIRIS-REx and numerous other missions before their launches.

Спойлер

TESS was scheduled to launch no earlier than March 20 from Cape Canaveral, but NASA announced Thursday a new target launch date of no earlier than April 16. That launch date is pending approval from the U.S. Air Force's Eastern Range, which provides tracking, communications and safety support for all rocket missions from Cape Canaveral.

A NASA spokesperson said "SpaceX requested additional time for hardware readiness and to meet NASA launch service mission requirements."

Chuck Dovale, deputy manager of NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy, said in a Jan. 31 interview that TESS will fly aboard a newly-manufactured "Block 4" version of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX is phasing out that configuration later this year, once the upgraded "Block 5" Falcon 9 rocket begins flying.

The planet-hunting telescope is set to become the first NASA science mission to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. SpaceX's commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station are managed under a different program, and the last Falcon 9 flight with oversight from NASA's Launch Services Program occurred in 2016 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

"That's our first Falcon from the East Coast, for our program," Dovale said. "It's a big step for us."

Mission officials said TESS is currently expected to launch from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad, one of two launch sites operated by SpaceX at the Florida spaceport. But SpaceX has the option of reassigning the launch to nearby pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA has already approved the use of previously-flown Falcon 9 rocket boosters for a cargo launch to the International Space Station, and Dovale said the agency's engineers are in the process of certifying reused rockets for launches of more costly scientific missions, including telescopes like TESS and interplanetary probes.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/143996.jpg)
Artist's concept of TESS in orbit. Credit: NASA

TESS will launch into an egg-shaped preliminary orbit stretching as far as 155,000 miles (250,000 kilometers) from Earth, around 60 percent of the distance to the moon. Once deployed from the Falcon 9's second stage, the roughly 815-pound (370-kilogram) spacecraft will fire thrusters to boost the farthest arc of its orbit to intercept the moon.

TESS will swing by the moon, using lunar gravity to slingshot toward the mission's operating orbit. A final major maneuver will steer the satellite on a path taking it around the planet once every two weeks in a 2:1 resonance with the moon, with distances ranging between 67,000 miles (108,000 kilometers) and 233,000 miles (376,000 kilometers) from Earth.

"The Falcon 9 does a lot of the lifting for us, and then the moon does most of the rest of it," said Robert Lockwood, TESS program director at Orbital ATK.

It will take around two months for TESS to settle into its unusual orbit and complete post-launch testing. Then scientists will press the observatory into a two-year mission searching for exoplanets — worlds orbiting other stars.

TESS's cameras, developed by MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, will spend most of each orbit observing stars. When the satellite nears perigee, its nearest point to the Earth roughly three times farther than the geostationary belt, TESS will downlink science data through a Ka-band antenna.

Scientists hope to find thousands of exoplanets with TESS, including some rocky worlds the size of Earth. TESS will identify prime targets for follow-up observations by the James Webb Space Telescope set for launch next year. Webb's cameras and spectrometers will be capable of measuring the chemical make-up of the planets' atmospheres, telling astronomers which of the worlds might be habitable.

TESS follows NASA's Kepler mission, launched in 2009, which continues surveying patches of the sky for exoplanet signatures. The new mission will look at a broader swath of the sky than Kepler.

The unique orbital dynamics required to maneuver TESS into its final orbit will prevent the mission from launching on certain days. The launch windows will be determined primarily by the position of the moon, providing a series of potential launch dates, followed by a block of time in which the liftoff cannot occur.

Engineers at Orbital ATK finished installing the science cameras on the TESS spacecraft last year, then put the satellite through a series of vibration, acoustic and thermal tests to ensure it will survive the extreme conditions of launch and spaceflight.

"Our entire test campaign is behind us, so she's all integrated," Lockwood said in an interview with Spaceflight Now.

With the spacecraft now in Florida, TESS engineers will once again check the satellite's performance to ensure it weathered the journey from Virginia. Workers will extend the satellite's solar panels and re-stow them, then fuel the spacecraft with approximately 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of hydrazine fuel for its main engine and control thrusters.

TESS will be encapsulated inside the Falcon 9's payload shroud before its transport to SpaceX's rocket hangar at pad 40 for attachment to the two-stage launcher.

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ЦитироватьFeb. 15, 2018

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite Arrives at Kennedy Space Center for Launch

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208490.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/ksc20180213phkls010002.jpg)
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where it will undergo final preparations for launch. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than April 16, pending range approval.
Credits: NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA's next planet-hunting mission has arrived in Florida to begin preparations for launch. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fr om Cape Canaveral Air Force Station nearby NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than April 16, pending range approval. TESS was delivered Feb. 12 aboard a truck from Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, wh ere it spent 2017 being assembled and tested. Over the next month, the spacecraft will be prepped for launch at Kennedy's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF).

Спойлер

TESS is the next step in NASA's search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. The mission will scan nearly the entire sky to monitor more than 200,000 of the nearest and brightest stars in search of transit events — periodic dips in a star's brightness caused by planets passing in front of their stars. TESS is expected to find thousands of exoplanets. The upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2019, will provide important follow-up observations of some of the most promising TESS-discovered exoplanets, allowing scientists to study their atmospheres and, in some special cases, to search for signs that these planets could support life.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission. NASA's Launch Services Program (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/LSP-Jan-14.pdf) is responsible for launch management. SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, is the provider of the Falcon 9 launch service.

Banner image: NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), shown here in a conceptual illustration, will identify exoplanets orbiting the brightest stars just outside our solar system. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

By Claire Saravia (mailto:claire.g.desaravia@nasa.gov?subject=RE%20Transiting%20Exoplanet%20Survey%20Satellite%20Arrives%20at%20Kennedy%20Space%20Center%20for%20Launch)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (http://www.nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md.

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Last Updated: Feb. 15, 2018
Editor: Rob Garner

ЦитироватьNASA разрешило SpaceX доставить на орбиту новый космический телескоп
ВАШИНГТОН, 19 февраля. /Корр. ТАСС Анатолий Бочинин/. Национальное управление США по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA) одобрило использование ракеты-носителя Falcon 9 производства компании SpaceX для доставки на орбиту новейшего телескопа TESS и других значимых грузов в рамках проведения научных миссий. Об этом сообщило издание Space News (http://spacenews.com/nasa-certifies-falcon-9-for-science-missions/).

Спойлер

Оно ссылается на представленный ранее проект федерального бюджета на 2019 финансовый год. В разделе, посвященном проводимым NASA запускам, сказано, что "в январе 2018 SpaceX успешно прошла сертификацию второй категории", что дает ей право выступить оператором отправки на орбиту аппарата TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite - Спутник по исследованию планет, проходящих перед своей звездой). Это же позже подтвердила официальный представитель аэрокосмического ведомства Шерил Уорнер.
Разрешение на проведение таких миссий выдается на каждую конкретную модель ракеты на основании того, сколько раз до этого она успешно выводила грузы на орбиту. Это решение NASA было ожидаемым ввиду успешной статистики запусков, проведенных SpaceX. Однако в 2017 году процесс сертификации несколько затормозился, что даже вызвало обеспокоенность в Конгрессе США.

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Задержка также привела к смещению графика. Изначально отправка TESS была запланирована на март 2018 года. Более того, сам телескоп уже доставлен к месту старта - в Космический центр Кеннеди во Флориде. Это случилось 12 февраля. В качестве новой даты запуска теперь обозначено 16 апреля. При этом, как уточнили в NASA, о переносе попросила сама SpaceX - компании нужно дополнительное время, чтобы подготовить оборудование согласно всем требованиям управления. Falcon 9 также уже находится на стартовом комплексе.
Долго переносить запуск не получится, ведь TESS должен быть запущен в определенное окно с марта по июнь, чтобы его можно было вывести на нужную траекторию. Об этом ранее сообщил Джордж Рикер - глава команды Массачусетского технологического института, которая будет проводить исследования при помощи аппарата.
Миссия TESS продлится минимум два года, за это время, как ожидается, он изучит более 200 тыс. звезд с целью выявить на их ярком фоне крохотные пятна, которые могут оказаться планетами. Всего ученные рассчитывают обнаружить несколько тысяч планет. Используя такой же метод, орбитальный телескоп "Кеплер" нашел 2,5 тыс. экзопланет, существование которых удалось подтвердить.

Спойлер

Получение SpaceX разрешения на запуск подобных миссий - весьма значимое достижение для компании. Но одна из ее главных задач остается нерешенной - создание пилотируемого космического корабля. Над этим же работает и конкурент SpaceX - корпорация Boeing. Изначально SpaceX должна была представить готовую ракету для сертификации во втором квартале 2017 года, а Boeing - в третьем. Сейчас же эту дату обе компании перенесли на первый квартал 2019 года.

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ЦитироватьКосмическое агентство США объявило о том, что оно сертифицировало ракету Фалькон-9 для выполнения пуска новых категорий научных миссий, что делает компанию SpaceX ближе к получению допуска к запуску дорогих астрономических аппаратов. Как отметили в агентстве в январе 2018 года ракета была сертифицирована по второй категории, а следовательно это допускает ее использование для запуска КА Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
 Категория 2 означает, что по мнению НАСА пуск ракеты сопровождается средним риском и требует от одного до трех успешных пусков ракеты. Под риском НАСА понимает произведение вероятности отказа на ущерб.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Verified account @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Feb 18 (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965313516919050241)

To protect @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS), the spacecraft was placed in a shipping container @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK). The container controls the temperature and protects #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) from the environment during the ride.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174021.jpg)

Спойлер

Feb 18 (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965316259473690624)

Careful lifting! @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) in the shipping container was carefully lifted onto a truck @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK). The truck and shipping container isolated the #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) observatory from bumps, shakes and shocks along the long journey ahead.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174022.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174023.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174024.jpg)

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Feb 18 (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965318891336622083)

After days of preparations and practice drives with the shipping container, the truck with @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) left @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK) for @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy).
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174042.jpg)

Feb 18 (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965321833334689792)

The truck with @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) left @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK) followed by a team of engineers and managers from @NASAGoddard (https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard). If there were any issues along the journey, they were prepared. The day before #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) left in the container, a second truck took equipment TESS would need before launch.(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174043.jpg)

Feb 18 (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965324648664715264)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) left @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK)'s testing facility in Dulles, Virginia for @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) in Florida. The drive ahead took nearly 17 hours with a few stops roughly every 4 hours to check to make sure #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) was environmentally safe.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174045.jpg)

Feb 18 (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965331479147540480)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) drove across five states (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida) before reaching @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy). #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) drove through several rain storms, but did see some sun. We passed some sites along the way and had great music for the ride.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174046.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174047.jpg)

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22h ago (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965372435917869057)

After a 17 hour ride, @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) arrived @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy). It was very early in morning when we arrived. The team checked on #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) then caught a few hours of rest before processing the observatory into the cleanroom.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174048.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174049.jpg)

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21h ago (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965376466975412224)

The next morning, the @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) shipping container was cleaned before being moved from the truck into the clean room environment.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174038.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174039.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174040.jpg)

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Verified account @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 20h ago (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/965395085826412544)

A moment like no other! The shipping container holding @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) was slowly and carefully opened. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) was "bagged" in the container to help protect it from contamination.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174051.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174052.jpg)

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ЦитироватьApril 16      Falcon 9 • TESS
Launch window: 2232-2233 GMT (6:32-6:33 p.m. EST)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 10 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/970414292632731649)

ARTICLE: TESS - the latest exoplanet finder - in final preparations for launch -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/03/tess-exoplanet-finder-final-preparations-launch/ ... (https://t.co/tvExdFcai5)

 - By Justin Davenport
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174152.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174153.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174154.jpg)

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ЦитироватьMichael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight)  6 мин.6 минут назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/971105928874471425) 

NASA confirms that the TESS mission is scheduled to launch on April 16th at 6:32 PM EDT aboard a #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) from SLC 40 at CCAFS

ЦитироватьSolar Panels Opened on NASA's TESS Satellite

Linda Herridge (https://blogs.nasa.gov/tess/author/lherridg/)
Posted Mar 6, 2018 at 2:41 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/132128.jpg)

Technicians dressed in clean room suits check the solar panels, which were deployed, on NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the PHSF, the satellite is being processed and prepared for its flight.

Спойлер

TESS is scheduled to launch April 16, 2018, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The satellite is the next step in NASA's search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA's Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission. NASA's Launch Services Program (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html) is responsible for launch management.

Photo credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/974373998204157954)

This video shows engineers from @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) deploying the #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) solar arrays in preparation for launch @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy)
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/974373131057029120/pu/vid/640x360/E3CAoEDWKncYCvfM.mp4 (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/974373131057029120/pu/vid/640x360/E3CAoEDWKncYCvfM.mp4)
(video (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/974373131057029120/pu/vid/640x360/E3CAoEDWKncYCvfM.mp4) 2:20)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 20 мар. (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/975918267750641664)

Join @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA) at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, March 28, as experts discuss the upcoming launch of NASA's next planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)).

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 24 мар. (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/977669986767515650)


April 16, 2018 at 6:30  :?: PM EST from NASA's Kennedy Space Center

ЦитироватьNASA's New Planet Hunter: TESS

NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 28 мар. 2018 г.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will find undiscovered worlds around bright nearby stars, providing targets where future studies will assess their capacity to harbor life. TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission, led and operated by MIT and managed by Goddard. With the help of a gravitational assist fr om the Moon, the spacecraft will settle into a 13.7-day orbit around Earth.

Спойлер

Four wide-field cameras will give TESS a field-of-view that covers 85 percent of the entire sky. Within this vast visual perspective, the sky has been divided into 26 sectors that TESS will observe one by one. The first year of observations will map the 13 sectors encompassing the southern sky, and the second year will map the 13 sectors of the northern sky.

The spacecraft will be looking for a phenomenon known as a transit, wh ere a planet passes in front of its star, causing a periodic and regular dip in the star's brightness. NASA's Kepler spacecraft used the same method to spot more than 2,600 confirmed exoplanets, most of them orbiting faint stars 300 to 3,000 light-years away

TESS will concentrate on stars less than 300 light-years away and 30 to 100 times brighter than Kepler's targets. The brightness of these target stars will allow researchers to use spectroscopy, the study of the absorption and emission of light, to determine a planet's mass, density and atmospheric composition. Water and other key molecules in its atmosphere can give us hints about a planet's capacity to harbor life.

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ЦитироватьMarch 28, 2018
RELEASE 18-016

NASA Prepares to Launch Next Mission to Search Sky for New Worlds

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208119.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/tesslavaplanet.jpg)
Illustration of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Telescope (TESS) in front of a lava planet orbiting its host star. TESS will identify thousands of potential new planets for further study and observation.
Credits: NASA GSFC

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS (https://www.nasa.gov/tess-transiting-exoplanet-survey-satellite)) is undergoing final preparations in Florida for its April 16 launch to find undiscovered worlds around nearby stars, providing targets where future studies will assess their capacity to harbor life.

Спойлер

"One of the biggest questions in exoplanet exploration is: If an astronomer finds a planet in a star's habitable zone (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/resources/1062/), will it be interesting fr om a biologist's point of view?" said George Ricker, TESS principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research in Cambridge, which is leading the mission. "We expect TESS will discover a number of planets whose atmospheric compositions, which hold potential clues to the presence of life, could be precisely measured by future observers."

On March 15, the spacecraft passed a review that confirmed it was ready for launch. For final launch preparations, the spacecraft will be fueled and encapsulated within the payload fairing of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

TESS will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. With the help of a gravitational assist (https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/basics/primer/) from the Moon, the spacecraft will settle into a 13.7-day orbit around Earth. Sixty days after launch, and following tests of its instruments, the satellite will begin its initial two-year mission.

Four wide-field cameras will give TESS a field-of-view that covers 85 percent of our entire sky. Within this vast visual perspective, the sky has been divided into 26 sectors that TESS will observe one by one. The first year of observations will map the 13 sectors encompassing the southern sky, and the second year will map the 13 sectors of the northern sky.

The spacecraft will be looking for a phenomenon known as a transit (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/transiting-exoplanet-with-brightness-graph-anim.gif), wh ere a planet passes in front of its star, causing a periodic and regular dip in the star's brightness. NASA's Kepler (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/main/index.html) spacecraft used the same method to spot more than 2,600 confirmed exoplanets, most of them orbiting faint stars 300 to 3,000 light-years away

"We learned from Kepler that there are more planets than stars in our sky, and now TESS will open our eyes to the variety of planets around some of the closest stars," said Paul Hertz, Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters. "TESS will cast a wider net than ever before for enigmatic worlds whose properties can be probed by NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope and other missions."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4KjvPIbgMI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4KjvPIbgMI)
This video provides an overview of the TESS mission, which will monitor bright, nearby stars for evidence of orbiting planets.
Credits: NASA GSFC

TESS will concentrate on stars less than 300 light-years away and 30 to 100 times brighter than Kepler's targets. The brightness of these target stars will allow researchers to use spectroscopy (https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/hera/spectroscopy/what_is_spectroscopy.html), the study of the absorption and emission of light, to determine a planet's mass, density and atmospheric composition. Water, and other key molecules, in its atmosphere can give us hints about a planets' capacity to harbor life.

"TESS is opening a door for a whole new kind of study," said Stephen Rinehart, TESS project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, which manages the mission. "We're going to be able study individual planets and start talking about the differences between planets. The targets TESS finds are going to be fantastic subjects for research for decades to come. It's the beginning of a new era of exoplanet research."

Through the TESS Guest Investigator Program (https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/tess/proposing-investigations.html), the worldwide scientific community will be able to participate in investigations outside of TESS's core mission, enhancing and maximizing the science return from the mission in areas ranging from exoplanet characterization to stellar astrophysics and solar system science.

"I don't think we know everything TESS is going to accomplish," Rinehart said. "To me, the most exciting part of any mission is the unexpected result, the one that nobody saw coming."

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer (https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/programs/astrophysics-explorers) mission led and operated by MIT and managed by Goddard. George Ricker, of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, serves as principal investigator for the mission. TESS's four wide-field cameras were developed by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA's Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants (https://tess.gsfc.nasa.gov/meettheteam.html) in the mission.

-end-

Felicia Chou
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0257
felicia.chou@nasa.gov (mailto:felicia.chou@nasa.gov)

Claire Saravia
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-1940
claire.g.desaravia@nasa.gov (mailto:claire.g.desaravia@nasa.gov)

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Last Updated: March 28, 2018
Editor: Katherine Brown

ЦитироватьСША намерены 16 апреля вывести на орбиту телескоп для поиска экзопланет
ВАШИНГТОН, 28 марта. /ТАСС/. Американское космическое ведомство - NASA завершает последние приготовления для вывода на орбиту 16 апреля нового телескопа для поиска потенциально пригодных для жизни планет. Об этом сообщил в среду на пресс-конференции в штаб-квартире NASA Джордж Рикер, руководитель группы исследователей из Массачусетского технологического института, которая занимается реализацией данного проекта.
По его словам, специальная комиссия 15 марта подтвердила готовность к запуску аппарата под названием Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS, Спутник по исследованию планет, проходящих перед своей звездой). Для запуска с космодрома на мысе Канаверал (штат Флорида) будет использована ракета-носитель Falcon 9 производства компании SpaceX. Изначально отправка телескопа в космос была запланирована на март этого года.
"Мы ожидаем, что TESS откроет ряд планет, химический состав атмосферы которых может представлять интерес с биологической точки зрения", - отметил Рикер. Как указал, в свою очередь, представитель NASA Стивен Райнхарт, этот телескоп "открывает дверь для исследований на совершенно другом уровне". "Мы сможем изучать отдельные планеты и обсуждать различия между ними. Это новая эра в исследовании экзопланет", - подчеркнул он.
TESS во время своей двухлетней миссии сфокусируется на звездах, находящихся на расстоянии до 300 световых лет от Земли. Предполагается, что телескоп, оснащенный четырьмя широкоугольными камерами, изучит более 200 тыс. звезд с целью выявить на их ярком фоне крохотные пятна, которые могут оказаться планетами. Всего ученые рассчитывают обнаружить несколько тысяч экзопланет.

Спойлер

В ближайшие 10 лет NASA планирует вывести в космос еще два новых телескопа с целью поиска планетных систем, по своим параметрам в наибольшей степени сравнимых с нашей Солнечной системой. Основываясь на информации, полученной с помощью орбитальной обсерватории Hubble и других телескопов, эксперты NASA ранее высказали предположение, что только в галактике Млечный путь имеется по меньшей мере 11 млрд планет, сравнимых по размеру с Землей. С 1995 года было подтверждено существование 3,5 тыс. экзопланет, на которых потенциально возможна жизнь, и насчитывается еще около четырех тысяч "кандидатов".

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ЦитироватьNASA Discusses Upcoming Launch of Next Planet Hunter

NASA Video (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_aP7p621ATY_yAa8jMqUVA)

Опубликовано: 28 мар. 2018 г.

During a press conference at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., astrophysics experts discussed the upcoming launch of NASA's next planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

Scheduled to launch April 16, TESS is expected to find thousands of planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets, orbiting the nearest and brightest stars in our cosmic neighborhood. Powerful telescopes like NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope can then further study these exoplanets to search for important characteristics, like their atmospheric composition and whether they could support life.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 5 сек.5 секунд назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/981190091270914048)


Looking forward to warm summer weather? Maybe not so warm as a Hot Jupiter! These gas giants are so close to their stars that their atmospheres boil away!  ;)

ЦитироватьThe Unique Orbit of NASA's Newest Planet Hunter

NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 4 апр. 2018 г.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite - TESS - will fly in an orbit that completes two circuits around Earth every time the Moon orbits once. This special orbit will allow TESS's cameras to monitor each patch of sky continuously for nearly a month at a time. To get into this orbit, TESS will make a series of loops culminating in a lunar gravity assist, which will give it the final push it needs. TESS will reach its orbit about 60 days after launch.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/982226432762892291)

Before leaving on a long trip, you should have a full tank of gas! @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) completed fueling this week @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) as part of preparations for launch. Fuel used on #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) is hydrazine, which is extremely toxic to humans.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162531.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162532.jpg)

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 20 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/983317472374935552)

NASA's TESS spacecraft is the next SpaceX launch. Static Fire test is still NET Wednesday. Launch is NET April 16.

Chris Gebhardt (@ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF)) photo of the happy passenger riding on a new Falcon 9 (B1045.1)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162749.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 14 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/984025191876644864)

There's a brand new, shiny white, non-sooty SpaceX Falcon 9 (B1045.1) sat vertically on the Cape's SLC-40 right now, waiting for her Static Fire test ahead of next week's TESS launch. Test Window opens at 11 AM local.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 18 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/983781676391297027)

Team members on @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) signed a dedication plaque that was attached to the observatory. Many individuals contributed to make TESS and the discovery of new exoplanets possible.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162495.jpg)

ЦитироватьHow NASA's Newest Planet Hunter Scans the Sky

NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 10 апр. 2018 г.

TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, is NASA's newest exoplanet mission. Led by MIT, TESS will find thousands of new planets orbiting nearby stars. During its two year survey, TESS will watch a wide variety of stars, looking for signs of planets ranging from Earth-size to larger than Jupiter.

Each of TESS's cameras has a 16.8-megapixel sensor covering a square 24 degrees wide — large enough to contain an entire constellation. TESS has four of these cameras arranged to view a long strip of the sky called an observation sector. TESS will watch each observation sector for about 27 days before rotating to the next. It will cover the southern sky in its first year, and then begin scanning the north.

TESS will study 85 percent of the sky — an area 350 times greater than what NASA's Kepler mission first observed — making TESS the first exoplanet mission to survey nearly the entire sky. Because TESS's observation sectors overlap, it will have an area near the pole under constant observation. This region is easily monitored by the James Webb Space Telescope, which allows the two missions to work together to first find, and then carefully study exoplanets.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/984057626706239488)

The @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) fairing for @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) arrived over the weekend to meet #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) for encapsulation @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy). After launch, TESS will find new planets around other stars, called exoplanets, that scientists will study for decades to come.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162534.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg)Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/984111012629671937)

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, the last new Block 4 version booster, stands vertical at pad 40 at Cape Canaveral for a hotfire attempt this afternoon. Launch with NASA's TESS observatory set for Monday evening.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162558.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185527.jpg)NASA Kennedy / KSC‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) 9 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy/status/984109848357941248)

NASA and SpaceX are targeting the launch of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) on a Falcon 9 rocket at CCAFS in FL at 6:32 pm ET on Mon, Apr 16. Mission coverage will begin Sun, Apr 15 with 3 live briefings. For more on live coverage: https://go.nasa.gov/2vd3nwD  (https://t.co/EZwlvy5XjZ)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162556.jpg)

ЦитироватьNAVAREA IV 293/2018 (11,26)

WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
   162227Z TO 162325Z APR, ALTERNATE
   172208Z TO 172307Z APR IN AREAS BOUND BY:
   A. 28-36N 080-36W, 28-40N 080-18W,
   28-40N 080-02W, 28-36N 080-02W,
   28-32N 080-14W, 28-30N 080-26W,
   28-31N 080-34W, 28-32N 080-37W.
   B. 29-08N 077-52W, 29-38N 074-51W,
   29-38N 073-50W, 28-38N 073-50W,
   28-38N 077-52W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 180007Z APR 18.

( 110827Z APR 2018 )

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67530.jpg)Spaceflight Now‏ @SpaceflightNow (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/984138547287519233)

SpaceX has test-fired its Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral ahead of Monday's scheduled launch of a NASA exoplanet-hunting telescope. Full story to come.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162555.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg)Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/984139083290152960)

Falcon 9 test-fired at 2:30pm EDT (1830 GMT) at pad 40. We'll await SpaceX confirmation of a good static fire.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/984146401578827776)

Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting April 16 launch of @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) from Pad 40 in Florida.

ЦитироватьFalcon 9 Fires Up Ahead of Monday Liftoff with NASA's TESS Exoplanet Hunter
 April 11, 2018 (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-tess-static-fire-test/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152461.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/152461.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX (File)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fired up atop the company's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch pad on Wednesday for the customary static fire test ahead of entering final preparations for liftoff as early as Monday with NASA's TESS exoplanet hunter, to be dispatched on a mission to collect an all-sky survey of planets orbiting stars in Earth's astronomical neighborhood.

Falcon 9 will be tasked with lifting the 360-Kilogram Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/) into a highly elliptical orbit peaking around 270,000 Kilometers above the planet from where it will be up to the spacecraft to go through an incredibly elaborate orbital ballet involving thruster firings and a lunar gravity assist. If all goes well, TESS will achieve a unique lunar-resonant orbit with a period of half a lunar day – chosen because it provides the mission with a disturbance-free observation environment from a thermal, radiation and stray-light standpoint.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153881.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/TESS_with_techs_high_res.jpg)
Photo: Orbital ATK

Tasked with a survey of 85% of the sky, TESS is expected to detect and characterize in excess of 10,000 new exoplanets including a rather large sample of around 500 Earth-sized and Super Earth planets including some in the habitable zones around their host stars. Capable of delivering a detailed inventory of potentially habitable exoplanets, TESS is considered a critical precursor to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope that will be tasked with detailed characterization of potentially habitable worlds far from Earth.

Wednesday's Static Fire Test involved a brand-new Falcon 9 rocket, almost a rarity these days as SpaceX flew four out of the company's six Falcon 9 missions in 2018 with used hardware. TESS, classed as a "medium-risk" mission by NASA's Launch Services Program, has been contracted to fly on a new vehicle and will employ Falcon 9 Booster 1045, the final new Block 4 vehicle to take to the skies before SpaceX will debut its finalized version of Falcon 9 known as Block 5.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153873.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/DKkP8wIWsAATLb_.jpg)
Image: NASA

The two-stage Falcon 9 – still missing its payload – was raised to its vertical launch position atop the SLC-40 launch pad by Wednesday morning, local time, just nine days after a flight-proven Falcon 9 vacated the pad when lifting the 14th operational Dragon resupply mission (http://spaceflight101.com/dragon-spx14/) into orbit. Poised for a brief firing of its engines, Falcon 9 went through a complete tanking sequence to put both stages through a complete propellant loading, thermal and pressurization cycle in an end-to-end exercise of all systems on the vehicle and ground side.

Ignition of the nine Merlin 1D engines of the first stage occurred around 2:40 p.m. local time, 18:40 UTC – several hours into the day's test window. Visually, the burn appeared to meet its planned 3.5-second duration and SpaceX confirmed via Twitter that the Static Fire Test was a success – meaning the firing ran its desired duration and all data required for in-depth reviews was acquired. As part of its next steps, Falcon 9 was to be de-tanked and moved back into the pad-side hangar to receive its payload in the coming days to set up for liftoff on Monday – pending clearance of final reviews including analysis of performance data from Wednesday's engine firing.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153871.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/39932145024_c5d59c8559_o.jpg)
Photo: NASA Kennedy

The $243 million TESS mission is targeting liftoff during a minute-long launch window at 22:32 UTC on Monday, April 16 – essentially giving the mission an instantaneous shot at leaving the ground due to Falcon 9's complex countdown sequence. Around ten consecutive launch opportunities are available for TESS before the alignment between Cape Canaveral and the target lunar flyby would require a multi-day stand-down before the next window would open.

From its Atlantic-side launch pad, Falcon 9 will be headed due east to send TESS on its way via a two-burn mission, initially taking the craft into a preliminary Parking Orbit before the MVac-powered second stage re-starts within visibility of ground stations in Africa to boost the spacecraft into its highly elliptical target orbit. Documentation indicates this mission will employ a first stage recovery via SpaceX's East Coast Drone Ship "Of Course I Still Love You" stationed around 300 Kilometers downrange from the launch pad.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153878.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/tess_orbit.jpg)
TESS Orbit Design – Image: TESS Project

Starting out in an orbit of 200 by 270,000 Kilometers, 28.5 degrees, TESS will be tasked with a series of engine burns over the course of three and a half orbits to intercept its lunar flyby window. This will be followed by another set of engine burns to reach an operational orbit of 107,000 by 376,000 Kilometers, inclined 37 degrees. This way, TESS will make two orbits for every one orbit of the Moon in order to have the lunar gravity 'pull' from either side for exactly half the time and so cancel out a potentially perturbing effect of the Moon.

The 13.65-day period of the craft's orbit will permit very long observation arcs, as required for detecting exoplanets through the transit method: carefully tracking the light curves of thousands of target stars to identify characteristic dips in brightness when an exoplanet crosses before the star.

>> TESS Orbit Design (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/tess-orbit-design/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153880.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153880.jpg)
Image: NASA/TESS Project

The TESS Project started out as a concept study at MIT in 2006 and an initial mission proposal was submitted in 2008 as a follow-on program to NASA's Kepler exoplanet mission. NASA sel ected the mission in 2013 after the proposal was re-submitted under the agency's Explorers Program.

Built by Orbital ATK based on the well-proven LEOStar-2 platform (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/tess-spacecraft/), TESS weighs in at 362 Kilograms and hosts four identical CCD imaging instruments built by MIT Lincoln Lab. The four cameras are installed such that their 24 by 24-degree fields of view are combined to allow TESS to view a 24 by 96-degree sector of the sky in a staring-sensor concept that collects a continuous stream of two-minute exposures of up to 15,000 target stars plus full-sky images every thirty minutes. TESS will be programmed to stare at each 24 x 96° sector for two orbits (~27 days) before stepping east to the next sector – covering the southern hemisphere in the first year of the two-year primary mission before moving on to the northern hemisphere.

>> TESS Instrument Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/tess-instrument/)

Given its observation geometry, TESS will be able to cover 85% of the sky during its two-year surveying mission with some 200,000 target stars to be observed by the spacecraft. Kepler, while capable of detecting more distant exoplanets, can only observe a very small slice of the sky at any time and is therefore not suitable for a systematic survey.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153875.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/DLpQTNmW4AAdadW.jpg)
TESS Cameras – Photo: TESS Project

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153877.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/tess_observingsectorschematic_Winnpresentation.jpg)
Image: TESS Project

Additionally, TESS has been optimized through its optical design to observe stars 30 to 100 times brighter than those observed by Kepler, focusing on easy-to-study exoplanets in Earth's astronomical neighborhood (up to distances of 300 light years) – covering G, K and M-type stars with optical magnitudes brighter than Mag 12. The ultimate goal for TESS is the creation of a large catalog of the nearest and brightest stars hosting exoplanets to keep the scientific community busy for years to come.

The reason behind focusing TESS on the solar neighborhood is a desire to identify exoplanets that can be easily studied with current ground-based telescopes and space telescopes that are already under development like James Webb and the budget-threatened WFIRST. Follow-up observations of astronomically-close exoplanets will yield their mass, size and density to allow for a basic differentiation between rocky planets, ice giants or gaseous worlds like Jupiter while spectral observations will shed light on the composition of their atmosphere – a critical piece of information when assessing their habitability fr om afar.

Although TESS will capture a treasure trove of data via its two-year primary mission, the spacecraft has been designed to last up to 20 years and the specialized orbit has also been simulated to be sufficiently stable for that period of time. However long TESS may last, its scientific legacy is likely one for the ages as the exoplanets it'll discover will be prime observation candidates for decades, if not centuries to come. But all currently hinges on SpaceX's Falcon 9 as an on-target delivery will be paramount for TESS reaching its observation location and beginning its mission of discovery.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьSpaceX rocket test-fired at Cape Canaveral for NASA telescope launch
April 11, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144346.jpg)
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, without its payload fairing or the satellite passenger, fired its nine Merlin 1D booster engines for several seconds Wednesday at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now

SpaceX's launch team loaded super-chilled liquid propellants into a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday and fired the booster's nine first stage engines at Cape Canaveral, marching toward liftoff Monday with a NASA observatory built to find planets around other stars in our galactic neighborhood.

Спойлер

The Falcon 9's nine Merlin 1D booster engines ignited at 2:30 p.m. EDT (1830 GMT) Wednesday as hold-down clamps kept the rocket firmly on Earth at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad. A plume of exhaust visible fr om nearby viewing points appeared at the launch pad, and SpaceX tweeted later Wednesday that the static fire test was complete.

The hold-down firing was a key milestone in the run-up to launch Monday of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, an approximately $337 million mission that will survey the sky in search of tell-tale dips in light fr om bright, nearby stars. The brief, slight reduction in brightness registered by TESS could be evidence of a planet passing in front of the star.

TESS will be the first NASA space science satellite to launch on a SpaceX rocket, and it's the space agency's second mission devoted to finding and cataloguing exoplanets.

NASA's Kepler observatory, launched in March 2009, looked for planets around stars residing in a section of the sky in the constellations Cygnus and Lyra, then expanded its survey to observe other parts of the sky in the ecliptic plane, the relatively flat imaginary plane wh ere our solar system's planets reside.

Kepler has found more than confirmed 2,652 exoplanets, and 2,724 candidate discoveries await follow-up observations before astronomers declare those detections as real planets, according to data published in NASA's exoplanet archive. Looping around the sun in an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit, Kepler has discovered more than 70 percent of all the known exoplanets to date.

But TESS will look for exoplanets across 85 percent of the sky, giving astronomers a more three-dimensional survey of worlds lurking in other solar systems, focusing on bright stars that are in the same part of the Milky Way galaxy as the sun.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144259.jpg)
TESS during a solar array deployment test at Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

The new TESS observatory will "build upon the legacy of the Kepler mission, only it is going to focus on nearby bright stars that are sprinkled across the whole sky, and it's going to help us answer a really important question: Which of our nearest stellar neighbors have planets?" said Elisa Quintana, an astrophysicist and TESS mission support scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

TESS carries four science cameras developed by MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Each camera contains a 16.8-megapixel sensor covering a field of view of 24-by-24 degrees, with the sensitivity to detect faint dips in star brightness and a coverage area wide enough to look at thousands of targets.

"The coverage of the TESS cameras is unprecedented in terms of the amount of sky that they can actually see at any given time, and also their ability to cover such a broad portion of the sky," said George Ricker, the mission's principal investigator from MIT. "The types of targets that TESS will allow us to find will enclose essentially all the bright nearby stars."

Liftoff of TESS is scheduled for 6:32 p.m. EDT (2232 GMT) Monday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral.

TESS will launch into an egg-shaped preliminary orbit stretching as far as 155,000 miles (250,000 kilometers) from Earth, around 60 percent of the distance to the moon. Once deployed from the Falcon 9's second stage, the roughly 815-pound (370-kilogram) spacecraft will fire thrusters to boost the farthest arc of its orbit to intercept the moon.

TESS will swing by the moon, using lunar gravity to slingshot toward the mission's operating orbit. A final major maneuver will steer the satellite on a path taking it around the planet once every two weeks in a 2:1 resonance with the moon, with distances ranging between 67,000 miles (108,000 kilometers) and 233,000 miles (376,000 kilometers) from Earth.

"The Falcon 9 does a lot of the lifting for us, and then the moon does most of the rest of it," said Robert Lockwood, TESS program director at Orbital ATK, which built the spacecraft.

The launch of TESS is timed to ensure the moon is in the right place in its orbit around Earth to allow the satellite to make its crucial lunar flyby. If Monday's launch is delayed or scrubbed, launch opportunities will not be available on some days due to moon's orbital dynamics.

But Ricker said Wednesday that TESS can blast off any day through April 21, before waiting for a new block of potential launch dates around the end of April.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144327.jpg)
The Falcon 9 rocket's payload fairing for the TESS mission. Credit: NASA

Since arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in February, TESS has been fueled with maneuvering propellant for its rocket thrusters, and encapsulated inside the Falcon 9 rocket's payload fairing, the aerodynamic shell that will protect the spacecraft during the first few minutes of launch.

Now that the static fire test is complete, the TESS spacecraft and the rocket's nose cone will be moved to SpaceX's hangar at pad 40, wh ere ground crews will install the payload once the Falcon 9 is lowered off its launch mount and rolled back inside.

The Falcon 9 rocket assigned to the TESS mission will fly with a new first stage booster, and SpaceX is expected to attempt to recover the stage on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean for potential refurbishment and reuse. TESS will launch with the final newly-manufactured "Block 4" version of SpaceX's workhorse rocket, before several upgrades will debut in a new "Block 5" version set to launch for the first time in early May.

It will take around two months for TESS to settle into its unusual orbit and complete post-launch testing. Then scientists will press the observatory into a two-year mission searching for exoplanets.

Ricker proposed the TESS mission to NASA in 2012, and the project won government funding the next year. Now the mission is days from launch.

"It feels wonderful in one way," Ricker said in an interview with Spaceflight Now. "It's a little bit daunting because now that it's really going to happen, we'll see the rocket light and that will be all that we can conceivably do. We've done pretty much everything we can with the instruments and the spacecraft by delivering them here to Kennedy (Space Center) so that the launch preparations can really occur in earnest."

Expect some new worlds added to the exoplanet count by the end of the year.

"I think there's going to be a teething problem as there always will be with a new satellite," Ricker said. "So it will probably be some time in the fall before we have some interesting results to share."

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьSpaceX - TESS - Static Fire Test 04-11-2018

USLaunchReport (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5hWqb0u1eKgYmVryCEyJYA)

Опубликовано: 11 апр. 2018 г.

Bad picture quality due to very high winds and air moisture. This should be the last Falcon 1.2. Next, up Block 5

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg)Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust) 50 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/984498973858762752)

Ricker shows this slide of schedule for TESS launch preps; notes that if it doesn't launch for some reason by April 27, they have to stand down until early June so NASA Launch Services can support the InSight launch from Vandenberg.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162626.jpg)

ЦитироватьNASA and SpaceX Prepare to Launch Planet-hunting Spacecraft

Anna Heiney (https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/author/aheiney/)
Posted Apr 12, 2018 at 3:05 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/132129.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/132129.jpg)
The payload fairing for NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is being moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the facility, TESS will be encapsulated in the payload fairing. Photo credit: NASA

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (http://www.nasa.gov/tess), or TESS, is making strides toward its upcoming liftoff. The planet-hunting spacecraft is slated to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 on Monday, April 16, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.  Inside Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the TESS spacecraft was sealed within the Falcon 9 payload fairing in preparation for its move to the launch pad.

Спойлер

The satellite is the next step in NASA's search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA's Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission. NASA's Launch Services Program is responsible for launch management.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186205.jpg)Jessie Christiansen‏Подлинная учетная запись @aussiastronomer (https://twitter.com/aussiastronomer) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/aussiastronomer/status/984507582420156416)

#TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) is not big, you guys.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162631.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/984793369091198976)

Some additional photos of the arrival of the @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)'s @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon?src=hash)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125651.png) (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon?src=hash) 9 fairing!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162689.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162690.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162691.jpg)

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 7 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/984798370018545665)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) was encapsulated within the @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) fairing at @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy). #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) is on track for an April 16th launch attempt.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162666.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 16 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/984799747306385408)

A good sense of how small @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) (@TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT)) is. That's a standard sized #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) payload fairing. At just 350 kg (772 lbs), TESS will be the lightest payload ever launched by the Falcon 9.

ЦитироватьTESS Briefings and Events Scheduled for Sunday, April 15

Anna Heiney (https://blogs.nasa.gov/tess/author/aheiney/)
Posted Apr 13, 2018 at 4:00 pm

NASA's TESS satellite (http://www.nasa.gov/tess) is scheduled to launch Monday, April 16, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, on an ambitious mission to search for planets outside our solar system. Tune in Sunday for a series of briefings and events broadcast live on NASA TV.

Catch the NASA Social Mission Overview at 11 a.m., a prelaunch news conference at 1 p.m. and a news conference focusing on the science of the mission beginning at 3 p.m. All times are Eastern. View the TESS Briefings and Events page (https://www.nasa.gov/content/tess-prelaunch-briefings-and-events) for the full list of event participants.

Join us here or at NASA TV from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday for live coverage from the countdown. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 is scheduled for 6:32 p.m.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 7 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/984893791910924289)

OCISLY recovery for TESS confirmed. Port radio:

"Hawk over here with the SpaceX barge making preparations to get underway at 1700. Just looking to see how the traffic is going.

Harbor Master: "Disney Dream is scheduled at the same time. After that, you are clear to go."

6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/984894077819813888)

The tug Eagle has also pulled up to OCISLY to help escort it out of the port.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162730.jpg)

ЦитироватьTESS: NASA's Next Planet Hunter

NASA Video (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_aP7p621ATY_yAa8jMqUVA)

Опубликовано: 13 апр. 2018 г.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will discover thousands of exoplanets in orbit around the brightest stars in the sky. In a two-year survey of the solar neighborhood, TESS will monitor more than 200,000 stars for temporary drops in brightness caused by planetary transits. This first-ever space-borne all-sky transit survey will identify planets ranging from Earth-sized to gas giants, around a wide range of stellar types and orbital distances. No ground-based survey can achieve this feat. To learn more, go to https://www.nasa.gov/tess (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?redir_token=hmSbr6GYJi5EYW3-oyOjmcMQ57V8MTUyMzc1MTEzMkAxNTIzNjY0NzMy&v=-U2Xv40rqmg&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Ftess&event=video_description)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 15 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985191228613545984)

#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) recovery support vessels GO Quest and GO Pursuit left Port Canaveral this morning in support of #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) recovery operations. Most likely, GO Quest will support OCISLY and GO Pursuit will support fairing recovery testing. We will know more once they get into position.

12 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985192020099719168)

Reminder: Neither of these vessels are capable of catching a fairing like Mr. Steven. However, they can collect data and potentially pull one out of the water.

Цитироватьdfln (http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/user/15345/) пишет:
Что-то о прожиге не слышно

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/985155728892743681)

Team members put the final touches on @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) before encapsulation within the @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) rocket. Work included removing protective covers on the #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) cameras that helped keep them clean while in testing.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162740.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/985185926086299648)

A final picture of @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS), @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA)'s next #exoplanet (https://twitter.com/hashtag/exoplanet?src=hash) hunting mission, before it was enclosed within the @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) for launch! Go #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash)!
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162761.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/985216118460698626)

Starting Sunday April 15, several live events from @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA) will cover the upcoming @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) launch. Want to learn more about #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) before launch? Visit: https://www.nasa.gov/live/  (https://t.co/gDFJXOczAN) and tune in!
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162762.jpg)

Цитироватьdfln (http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/user/15345/) пишет:
от души, Спасибо!

ЦитироватьTESS Prelaunch Briefings and Events

NASA and SpaceX are targeting the launch of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (http://www.nasa.gov/tess), or TESS, on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT Monday, April 16.

Mission coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website (http://www.nasa.gov/live) Sunday, April 15 with three live briefings.

TESS is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. TESS will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets.

L-1 Day (Sunday, April 15)

Briefings on NASA TV

[/li]
• 11 a.m. – NASA Social Mission Overview
  Спойлер

  [свернуть]
• Martin Still, TESS Program Scientist, NASA Headquarters
• Tom Barclay, TESS scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
• Jenn Burt, Torres Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Zach Berta-Thompson, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
• Natalia Guerrero, TESS Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Robert Lockwood, TESS Spacecraft Program Manager, Orbital ATK
• Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX
• Jessie Christiansen, Staff scientist, NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, California Institute of Technology
• Elisa Quintana, TESS scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
  

[/SPOILER][/li][li]1 p.m. – Prelaunch news conference

Спойлер

[/li]
• Sandra Connelly, deputy associate administrator of programs, NASA's Science Mission Directorate
• Omar Baez, launch director, NASA's Launch Services Program
• Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
• Mike McAleenan, weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron
• Robert Lockwood, TESS Spacecraft Program Manager, Orbital ATK
• Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX
  

[свернуть]

[/li][li]3 p.m. – Science news conference

Спойлер

[/li]
• Paul Hertz, Astrophysics Division Director, NASA Headquarters
• George Ricker, TESS principal investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Padi Boyd, TESS Guest Investigator Program Lead, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
• Stephen Rinehart, TESS Project Scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
• Diana Dragomir, NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  

[свернуть]

[/li][/LIST]L-0 Day (Monday, April 16)

News Media Schedule

[/li]
• 6 p.m. – Launch Coverage Begins
• 6:32 p.m. – TESS Launch
  

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage

Prelaunch and launch day coverage of TESS will be available on the NASA website (http://www.nasa.gov/tess). Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning at 6 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur.

ЦитироватьTESS: Countdown to T-Zero – Episode 1: Keep It Clean

NASAKennedy (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjJtr2fFcUp6yljzJOzpHUg)

Опубликовано: 14 апр. 2018 г.

NASA's TESS spacecraft is about to embark on a daring mission to hunt for planets outside our solar system. TESS stands for Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. In this episode, the spacecraft arrives in Florida and begins a final round of critical prelaunch testing before it's ready to fly.

ЦитироватьApril 11, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY M18-059

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Planet-Hunting Mission

On a mission to detect planets outside of our solar system, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is scheduled to launch no earlier than 6:32 p.m. EDT Monday, April 16. Prelaunch mission coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency's website Sunday, April 15, with three live briefings.

Спойлер

TESS is NASA's next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system, known as exoplanets, including those that could support life. The mission is expected to catalog thousands of planet candidates and vastly increase the current number of known exoplanets. TESS will find the most promising exoplanets orbiting relatively nearby stars, giving future researchers a rich set of new targets for more comprehensive follow-up studies, including the potential to assess their capacity to harbor life.

[свернуть]

NASA TV coverage is as follows:

Sunday, April 15

11 a.m. – NASA Social Mission Overview

Спойлер

[/li]
• Martin Still, TESS program scientist at NASA Headquarters
• Tom Barclay, TESS scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
• Jenn Burt, Torres postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Zach Berta-Thompson, assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder
• Natalia Guerrero, TESS researcher at MIT
• Robert Lockwood, TESS spacecraft program manager with Orbital ATK
• Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX
• Jessie Christiansen, staff scientist with the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech
• Elisa Quintana, TESS scientist at Goddard
  

[свернуть]

1 p.m. – Prelaunch news conference

Спойлер

[/li]
• Sandra Connelly, deputy associate administrator of programs for NASA's Science Mission Directorate
• Omar Baez, launch director for NASA's Launch Services Program
• Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager at Goddard
• Mike McAleenan, weather officer with the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron
• Robert Lockwood
• Hans Koenigsmann
  

[свернуть]

3 p.m. – Science news conference

Спойлер

[/li]
• Paul Hertz, Astrophysics division director at NASA Headquarters
• George Ricker, TESS principal investigator at MIT
• Padi Boyd, TESS Guest Investigator Program lead at Goddard
• Stephen Rinehart, TESS project scientist at Goddard
• Diana Dragomir, NASA Hubble postdoctoral fellow at MIT
  

[свернуть]

Monday, April 16

10 a.m. – NASA EDGE: TESS     

[/li]
• This half-hour live show will discuss the TESS spacecraft, the science of searching for planets outside our solar system, and the launch from Cape Canaveral.
  

6 p.m. – Launch coverage begins

6:32 p.m. – Launch

Спойлер

TESS will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The deadline for media accreditation for this launch has passed. For information about media accreditation, contact ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov (mailto:ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov).

For the latest schedule of prelaunch briefings, events and NASA TV coverage, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/content/tess-prelaunch-briefings-and-events

[свернуть]

Last Updated: April 13, 2018
Editor: Karen Northon

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 40 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985539624939507713)

#SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)'s Hans Koenigsmann: This TESS mission is a super important science mission. We want to make life multi-planetary and TESS hunts for planets. So it connects with the goal of our company.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 39 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985540246162034690)

Koenigsmann on fairing recovery: We will have the same parachute as we do on the west coast, but the fairing will land in the water. We do the catch testing with Mr. Steven on the west coast. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 39 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985540438512857089)

Koenigsmann: This TESS booster is planned to fly again on the next CRS mission pending NASA approval. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 38 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985540742918569984)

Koenigsmann: We will not deorbit the second stage. We will dispose of the second stage with a third burn to a hyperbolic orbit.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 37 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985541370038407168)

That's all from Koenigsmann. Those comments were from ~20 minutes ago at a NASA social event. He will speak again at the pre-launch press briefing at 1 PM EDT. Koenigsmann officially confirmed an OCISLY recovery and a fairing soft landing in the water. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985558045492203527)

TESS pre-launch news conference delayed from 1p EDT to 1:30p EDT (5:30p UTC). #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 30 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985572805126344704)

Launch Readiness Review complete and good. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) and #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) are ready for launch tomorrow at 18:32:07 EDT (22:32:07 UTC). #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/985572948496011264)

Reason for the late presser is because Omar forgot "how to put on a tie...." (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125471.png)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162369.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985575468236726272)

#TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) has daily launch opportunities from April 16-19 and 21-26 before needing to stand down for the InSight mission to Mars. TESS has launch opportunities again in May and June if needed. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985575971192557568)

Nominal rollout of #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) is at midnight EDT tonight. There's 3-4 hrs of contingency time in there in case weather is still iffy at midnight and they need to delay rollout. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 45 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985577664865030149)

They will try to recovery the payload fairing. But it won't be caught in a net. So a floating fairing recovery is planned. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985578051927986177)

Koenigsmann: Block V is here. It was the fastest test campaign we've ever had in Texas on a new block upgrade. I am looking forward to that launch in early May.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985579395195785218)

Update on #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)'s TESS recovery plans:
 - Hawk has towed OCISLY into the vicinity of the #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) recovery zone.
 - GO Quest is ready to support OCISLY after landing.
 - GO Pursuit is on its way to the fairing recovery zone. It will attempt to pull a fairing out of the water.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/985580385194135552)

Unconfirmed: We *may* see a return of Roomba/Octagrabber/the robot that secures #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) after landing during tomorrow's recovery on OCISLY.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985580360129015808)

#Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)'s 30sec launch window tomorrow is designed to allow for Collision Avoidance shifts in the launch time if needed. Window should be thought of a instantaneous window. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985594822911320064)

TESS will dramatically increase the number of known exoplanets. It will more than double the number found by Kepler. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985603508018864129)

TESS has the capability to find exo-moons the size of the Galilean moons and maybe even moons the size of our moon. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

ЦитироватьOrbital ATK-Built TESS Satellite Set to Begin Two-Year Mission

Under a contract awarded by NASA in 2013, Orbital ATK designed, manufactured, integrated and tested the space agency's next planet hunter: the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The spacecraft is slated to begin its two-year mission on April 16 as it launches fr om Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209411.jpg)
Throughout the initial two-year mission, the TESS spacecraft will be controlled from the Orbital ATK's Mission Operations Center in Virginia.

TESS will begin wh ere NASA's Kepler spacecraft left off, searching for exoplanets among other stars in the universe. TESS, however, has the ability to cover an area 400 times larger than that covered by Kepler. TESS will be the first-ever exoplanet satellite to perform a survey of the entire sky using four wide-field cameras to discover exoplanets orbiting nearby stars and will seek to identify habitable, Earth-like planets. TESS will further the study of small exoplanets, first discovered by Kepler, by examining an immense quantity of small planets that surround the sky's brightest stars. TESS stars will be 30 to 100 times brighter than those surveyed by Kepler, making the planets easier to characterize with follow-up observations that will provide planet masses, sizes, densities and atmospheric properties.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209413.jpg)
The TESS spacecraft was designed, integrated and tested at Orbital ATK's Dulles, Virginia, facility. Here, technicians are preparing the satellite for shipment to the launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

TESS was built at Orbital ATK's Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Dulles, Virginia and is based on the company's LEOStar-2™ bus. Orbital ATK has a rich history of manufacturing small space science satellites. From small, low-cost missions like GALEX, used to explore the origin and evolution of galaxies and stars, to Dawn, the first mission of its kind to orbit two interplanetary bodies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the company's robust spacecraft platforms and comprehensive engineering have enabled many of the satellites, including both GALEX and Dawn, to significantly exceed their designed mission lifetimes. TESS marks the 31st science spacecraft Orbital ATK has built for NASA's research programs.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209412.jpg)
This artist's rendering shows TESS in orbit. The spacecraft is expected to discover more than 20,000 exoplanets during its two-year mission.

TESS, led and operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission managed by the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center. During its initial two-year mission, Orbital ATK will be controlled from the company's Dulles, Virginia, Mission Operations Center.

NASA TV live launch coverage of TESS will begin at 6 p.m. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, click here (http://www.nasa.gov/live).

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьPre-Launch News Conference for NASA's TESS Mission on SpaceX Falcon 9

Space Videos (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdF5d0UwSJJunRcRVzP1uDg)

Опубликовано: 15 апр. 2018 г.

Mission managers take part in a pre-launch news conference for the TESS mission that SpaceX will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket for NASA.

ЦитироватьScience Briefing for NASA's TESS Mission on SpaceX Falcon 9

Space Videos (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdF5d0UwSJJunRcRVzP1uDg)

Опубликовано: 15 апр. 2018 г.

Mission scientists take part in a science news conference for the TESS mission that SpaceX will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket for NASA.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185967.jpg)NASA_EDGE‏ @NASA_EDGE (https://twitter.com/NASA_EDGE) 6 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_EDGE/status/985544505825873920)

Join us tomorrow, April 16 from 10:00-10:30 am EDT on Facebook Live, NASA TV, YouTube, and UStream to talk all things @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) @TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT) . How many exoplanets will TESS find? You don't want to miss this show. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #LSP (https://twitter.com/hashtag/LSP?src=hash) #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #NASAsocial (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASAsocial?src=hash) #NASAEDGE (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASAEDGE?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162378.jpg)

Цитироватьна сайте

nasalive (https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html)

Цитироватьна сайте

spacex.com/webcast (http://www.spacex.com/webcast)

или

на ТыТрубе

youtube.com/watch?v=aY-0uBIYYKk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY-0uBIYYKk)

ЦитироватьTESS Pre-Launch Presser
2018-04-15

Moderator:

[/li]
• Joshua Finch, NASA Communications Office
  

Participants:

[/li]
• Sandra Connelly, Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs, NASA Science Mission Directorate
• Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
• Robert Lockwood, TESS Spacecraft Program Manager, Orbital ATK
• Omar Baez, Launch Director, NASA's Launch Services Program
• Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX
• And Mike McAleenan, Weather Officer fr om the 45th Weather Squadron
  

Спойлер

Joshua Finch, Moderator: Good afternoon and welcome to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the pre-launch news conference for TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. TESS is scheduled to lift off tomorrow, April 16th at 6:32PM on a SpaceX Falcon 9 fr om Space Launch Complex 40. I'm Josh Finch of NASA Communications, and I'm pleased to be joined today by Sandra Connelly, Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs, NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Robert Lockwood, TESS Spacecraft Program Manager, Orbital ATK. Omar Baez, Launch Director, NASA's Launch Services Program. Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX. And Mike McAleenan, Weather Officer fr om the 45th Weather Squadron. We'll begin with opening comments fr om our participants, and then turn it over to questions in the room. We also have #askNASA questions and a phone bridge. Sandra?

Sandra Connelly, NASA SMD: Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. In 1958, we launched the Explorer 1 satellite, which discovered the Van Allen radiation belts around the Earth and began a series of high-science payoff, low-cost class missions. TESS continues this series of Explorer class missions just a few months before NASA's 60th anniversary. Please tee up the video. TESS will find thousands of exoplanets outside our solar system around nearby stars, so that we can search for the ingredients and possible signs of life in conjunction with our other missions, such as the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. TESS will hopefully find the nearest of our exoplanet neighbors, those that may be visited in the distant future when humans leave our solar system for the stars. The success of TESS could not have been possible without the outstanding contributions of our partners. I truly appreciate the brilliant minds that have contributed in making the spacecraft, launch, and operations a reality. NASA's discoveries have transformed our understanding of ourselves, the Earth, the solar system, and the universe. We expect TESS's discoveries to do the same. I want to end with saying go Falcon 9, go TESS, and over to you, Jeff.

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: Thanks. So, as the project manager, I've been on this project for five years, and it's been an amazing ride. We've had great partnerships with Orbital ATK, MIT, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Ames Research Center. It's been a wonderful ride to here. It's been great getting to know the SpaceX team and the Launch Services Program folks down at the Cape, and we are ready to go. And as Sandra said, TESS forms kind of a bridge between what we've learned about exoplanets to date and where we're headed in the future. Everyone's heard about all the great discoveries that have been made by the Kepler space telescope. You think about Kepler, it only stared at one small portion of the sky, and they found thousands of exoplanets orbiting outside of our solar system. But many of them too distant and too dim to do any follow-up observations. And so the goal with our mission is now to do a full-sky survey. Let's look all over the sky. And let's specifically look for candidates where there are planets orbiting stars that are closer to Earth, maybe only dozens of light years away to hundreds of light years away. And ones that are bright enough, so that the light fr om those stars, coming through the atmosphere of an exoplanet, could be studied by something like the James Webb telescope. And so that's a really big part of our mission, is to enable future exploration by providing a giant data set all over the sky of where these exoplanets are, the ones that are closest to Earth and brightest for follow-up observations. With the hope that someday, in the next decades, we'll be able to identify the potential for life to exist outside the solar system. The most important part of this is the spacecraft itself, and so I'm going to let Robert talk more about that, as the representative fr om Orbital ATK.

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: Thank you, Jeff. It's been a real pleasure for us to be partnered with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and our friends at the MIT Kavli Institute, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This spacecraft will be the 31st spacecraft that we have delivered to NASA for their science missions. So it's been a long, productive partnership with us and NASA for many years. Really looking forward to operating this spacecraft. I've been personally involved with the mission for eight years now, when George Ricker, our Principle Investigator, first approached Orbital Sciences at the time, now Orbital ATK, to do this fantastic mission. So, following along, building it up, preparing it for all these operations has been very exciting for me. And so if you queue up the video of the spacecraft in orbit. Once we come off the top of the rocket, all the fun for us spacecraft folks begins. About 44 minutes after launch, we'll separate fr om the launch vehicle, deploy our solar arrays, and be nice and happy and power-positive. We'll then check out the functions of the spacecraft over about a five day period. Turn on the instrument at about six to eight days. Get first light about eight days after we're launched. Then we'll do a series of propulsive maneuvers and fly by the moon, which will be a tremendously exciting day on May 16th. Eventually getting into this very special orbit, this p-over-two [P/2] lunar resonant orbit on about June 12th. So really looking forward to the exciting part where we'll operate the spacecraft fr om our Dulles, Virginia Mission Operations Center. And continuing on into very many years or decades. If George Ricker has his way, we'll just keep going and getting fantastic science. So really glad to be here. Go TESS. And I'll pass it over to Omar to tell us a little about launch services.

Omar Baez, NASA LSP: Thank you so much. And first, I want to apologize to the members of the media for being a little late. I forgot how to put on a tie and a suit and it just put me behind. [Laughter] No, seriously, we just got done with our Launch Readiness Review. It all went well. It's a testament to the thoroughness we go through in reviewing these launch vehicles. And first I want to thank the members of the Launch Services Program, and of SpaceX, for helping us get through the certification of the Falcon Full Thrust vehicle. It's been a little over two years since we've flown on the Falcon 9, and that was a version 1.1 out of Vandenberg. It was a Jason mission. And since that time, we've been working hand-in-hand with SpaceX to get to the certification, to be able to fly the type of mission that TESS is, and it's a very important science mission for the agency. It's not large, but it's a powerful stepping stone towards getting what the James Webb Space Telescope needs to go do. So again thanks to all those folks. So, a little bit about the processing, and what's gone on. The launch vehicle got here about a month ago, or more. The folks have been preparing it, along with the rest of the missions that they've been working on. We had a mission dress rehearsal last Monday, which went well. It got us accustomed to working with the SpaceX team and the range, and this mode of launch vehicle. We had a Flight Readiness Review on Tuesday, along with a static fire testing of the Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday. Like I said, we finished our Launch Readiness Review this morning, and here we are. The spacecraft and the launch vehicle are ready to go. The sequence of events that you'll see in the next day and half are, sometime after midnight, if the weather cooperates with us, we'll be able to roll the launch vehicle out to the pad. Connect the vehicle up to its commodities. Raise the vehicle up to the vertical. And turn on the spacecraft. Start loading the pressure vessels. And hopefully by T-3 hours, my launch team will be on station. The SpaceX team comes in just about then, and they start getting ready for their LOX load, which will occur at T-70 minutes. We are aiming for a 6:32 in the evening launch. 6:32:07 I should say. And we have a 30 second window to be able to get that mission off tomorrow. So everything's looking good. Weather tells me they're going to be good, we have to see this front pass through tonight, but all is well. And with that, I'll turn it over to Hans.

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Thank you. Thanks so much. Yeah, SpaceX is excited to launch TESS. A really big mission for us. And since you just mentioned Jason, I was trying to figure out how many rockets we've launched between Jason and TESS, and I think it's about 30, more than 30? And certainly that we launched more between Jason and TESS than we launched before Jason. That's pretty uh, it amazes myself, actually. Alright, so 6:32, as everybody said, tomorrow night. We will go into a trans-lunar orbit. It'll be a two-burn main mission with an additional burn to dispose the spacecraft. The first burn is pretty much like a geo transfer burn. That's how it's going to look fr om here. Due east, more or less. Not quite. Then we're going to coast for about 40 minutes, is what I remember, have a second burn, and then shortly thereafter, we're going to deploy the spacecraft, and hand the keys over to you [looks at OATK rep]. The first stage will perform a droneship landing, as it has done many times before. In fact, this is going to be, if it goes well, this is our 24th overall recovery of a booster, and I think the 13th or 14th droneship landing. Sorry, 23 in total so far. We have done 11 land landing so far, 12 droneship landings. So it's the 13th. Those numbers need to add up. Let's see, it's actually our eighth mission this year. We've ramped up the number of mission significantly. And it pays out in having a more routine operation, and in being more confident that things will work. I'm really excited about tomorrow night and thing that we are ready to go. Pending weather? [looks at Weather Officer] And with that I'm probably going to hand it over to Mike. [laughs]

Mike McAleenan, Weather Officer: Well, uh, I'm just thankful that we're not launching tonight, I'll just say that. Because we've got pretty gusty winds outside right now, strong winds out to the south, bringing up all the warm temperatures up fr om Miami. And that's all ahead of this very strong frontal boundary that's moving through. Can we the satellite video up? You can see wh ere it's moving up the big bend area of Florida right now. Slowly making its way to central Florida. We're expecting showers to start in central Florida probably around 3:00PM, in a couple hours or so. And it looks like thunderstorm activity probably around 6:00PM. And that's when our severe threat begins. Probably six to about 10 PM. Looks like that's going to go trucking on through. And hopefully by midnight, showers will have diminished again, and we're ready to roll out. So looking at the forecast. Next slide. For the primary day, again, we're looking at that front just to push on through, should be well to our south, out of the peninsula. Winds die off fairly quickly on the backside of that. They'll be west-northwesterly, 20-25 mph at 200 ft. So there's a 20% of violation. I don't think you'll see much in the way of clouds at all tomorrow, so it should be good viewing conditions as long as those winds do drop off and stay below liftoff constraints. If for some reason we need to go to the backup day. Next slide. You'll see that the conditions stay fantastic. Might develop a little bit upper level cirrus, but less than a 10% chance of violation as winds are definitely dropped off to just about nothing as high pressure settles overhead. So looking very, very good for this backup day, and I think we've got a real good shot at tomorrow too, as long as that front continues to push through and we get rolled out on time. Thank you.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: And thank you, Mike. We'll now begin by taking questions. We'll start here in the room. We also do have a phone bridge, and #askNASA questions. If you could, raise your hand, state your name and your affiliation, and to whom you're directing your question. And we'll start right here in the front of the room.

Chris Gebhardt, NASASpaceFlight: Chris Gebhardt with NASASpaceFlight. So for Hans, can you talk a little bit about what this high priority science mission means for SpaceX in terms of being chosen for the launch provider for it, and for the launch outlook for the rest of the month, can one of you talk about the opportunities through April, and how, from the NASA side of this, with launch service providers, this works with InSight? If I understand correctly, there's a date that you have to be off the ground by with TESS before having to stand down for InSight. Can you talk about that?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Yeah, I want actually use the opportunity to thank NASA, our customer, for the confidence in having us launch this really important mission. So that is something that I should definitely note. Also, at the same token, I want to thank the Air Force and the FAA too, who support us for this mission. And then of course, our integration team at SpaceX and LSP, getting ready for this launch. TESS is, I want to say TESS has a special relevance for SpaceX in the sense that we want humanity to become a multi-planetary species, and this is about planets in other systems. So it's probably further down the road, but at the end of the day, that is the road, that might be a roadmap in the, I think we said the distant future? [looks at NASA SMD rep] So it's super-exciting that we look for planets in other systems and try to figure out wh ere humanity might one day, who knows, go there. So from that perspective, absolutely, very important mission for us.

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: So for my side, thanks Hans, it's great to have a launch provider who's as excited about the science as we are. So thank you. So as it comes to backup launch opportunities, every day we have a launch opportunity from the 16th until April 26th, except for the 20th, right? And the 20th is only because it happens a little bit after midnight, so on the 20th that calendar day, there is no launch opportunity. So 16th through the 26th. They start to move further and further into the evening. So the first two are around 6:30, then you start to get to 7, 8 o'clock. They go through midnight and start to come into the early morning. If we don't launch by the 26th, the Launch Services Program has priority to put on the InSight mission and their launch window. So they need a stand down on our mission temporarily. So that ends on the 26th, that'll be our last opportunity for April. And then we're going to continue to talk with them about, depending on when InSight launches, when the next opportunity for us would be. I think the first InSight launch date is May 5th? Do I have that right? So May 5th. Again, if they launch earlier in their window, that provides us with an opportunity to get back on the pad earlier. Their window goes all the way through June 9th, I believe, so that could push us a little further if they need more time. They have a very specific planetary window they need to meet, so they are a high priority for the agency. For us, we can launch multiple times in any month. So if we get pushed to May, if we get pushed to June, we have opportunities.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: We will now go to the phone bridge. We have James Dean from Florida Today.

James Dean, Florida Today: Hi. Thanks so much. Hans, could you confirm, is this that last new Block 4 Falcon that you plan to launch?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Yes. That is correct. It's the last new, not flight-proven yet, Block 4, is what you mean. We will continue flying flight-proven Block 4 stage 1 boosters for a couple more times, but we will then switch over to Block 5.

James Dean, Florida Today: And could you possibly just highlight a few of the key changes you've made to Block 5, just generally, and then how you expect them to improve reusability?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Yeah. I think Block 5 basically summarizes all of what we learned on reusability. Whenever we recover a booster and then it goes to refurbishment, we find things that are given us basically lessons for the next block, and in this case we're trying to summarize all of these lessons learned into a booster that then is able to fly, and be recovered, and fly again multiple times without a lot of refurbishment. And that's basically the key thing on Block 5, is a reliability upgrade that combines reliability and reusability.

James Dean, Florida Today: And is there one or two examples you could give, of those types of lessons learned?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Off the top of my head? Materials on the heat shield down at the engine bays are what I would probably cite, but there's a lot of details here that are very technical.

James Dean, Florida Today: Okay, thanks. And finally for Hans or Omar, how much margin do you have in your schedule, in case this severe weather should linger a bit longer than hoped to roll out and have an attempt tomorrow?

Omar Baez, NASA LSP: So the nominal roll out's at midnight, but we probably have three or four hours to be able to move things, to be able to adjust to make it.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: [silently signals to next question in room].

Ken Kremer, RocketSTEM / NEAF: Hi, Ken Kremer, for RocketSTEM and Northeast Astronomy Forum. For Hans and Omar. Okay, so this is a new orbit, never before used science orbit. P/2 resonant. So I'm wondering if there's any special requirements, any special challenges for the SpaceX Falcon 9 to achieve this orbit. And did you need to use the Block 3 and Block 4, earlier versions were not capable of this?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Do you want to go first?

Omar Baez, NASA LSP: Yeah. So Ken, it's not an unusual orbit. It's not the typical one that SpaceX is flying, but if I were to bring my analysts here in the room, they would say there's nothing special about this orbit. We've used highly elliptical orbits before for other instruments. It's not one that we use all the time. But for this particular mission it applies. And the physics behind it are not all that misunderstood. It's well known what it'll do.

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: For us, it's a little bit different, in the way that it looks like a geo transfer orbit, but going further out to the moon. And the targeting basically changes everyday. That's something that we have to deal with here. That's not a big deal. And in terms of performance, it's also not challenging Falcon 9.

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: And I think the key from our side too, is that once you get tipped off the top of that Falcon, we now need to rely on our own propulsion system. So the Orbital team has had the challenge of making sure that we can get into that final orbit. We have to do apogee burns and perigee burns for four or five orbits, after we get tipped off the top, to make sure that we get into the right configuration, so we can do the lunar flyby that Robert mentioned before. And it's that lunar flyby timing that's going to put us into that orbit. So there's challenges both on the SpaceX side, and then on our side.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: Then we'll go to Marcia Dunn on the third row.

Marcia Dunn, AP: Marcia Dunn, Associated Press. How close are you coming to the moon on May 16th during that flyby. And could a few more people talk about the excitement of going out there to find new worlds and what might lie out there?

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: Yeah, the lunar encounter is a few thousand kilometers above the surface. And as Jeff was mentioning, Hans will put us into this highly elliptical, almost geo transfer-like orbit, but there'll be a number of propulsive maneuvers that we'll make before we target exactly on that flyby. So it's a fairly routine flyby. It'll be an exciting day, but it's a routine gravitational assist from the moon.

Marcia Dunn, AP: Can someone touch on some of the excitement on going out to explore and find new worlds?

Sandra Connelly, NASA SMD: I'll start. So NASA, obviously is very interested in exploring life here on Earth, but also exploring the universe and searching for life elsewh ere. And this is a key mission that's going to enable us to look at stars that are nearby and help us to understand whether or not there are, if there's planets around them, identify and survey the planets. And then leverage other missions to help us understand whether or not they have the ingredients and capability to support life. So it is very exciting. It's something that, I think by human nature, we look for exploration and adventure. And this is an opportunity to see what's next.

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: You know it's funny. I worked at NASA Headquarters back in the 80s. And NASA as a whole was kind of reticent to even talk about the search for life outside the solar system because the thought that we could ever develop tools was like a far-out science fiction dream. So I think that's what's changed a lot, is that the tools have been in place for the last 20 years to start to understand the size of the planets, wh ere they are, what they might be composed of, and kind of leading along a continuum to wh ere you might actually at some point identify, hey there could be life on that planet. We found a signature in the atmosphere. Or something like that. So, I think that's what's been exciting just in our lifetimes, is that we've gone from have the potential to never know the answer to the question, to wh ere we now think we're on a path to get there.

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: Yeah, and I would say I also think it's very exciting for us at Orbital ATK. I mentioned earlier, this is our 31st mission wh ere we have delivered a science spacecraft for NASA, and so it's very exciting to do the engineering, the nuts and bolts, but really to tie into exoplanet science, and to look for things outside, astrophysics, heliophysics, it's just, it makes doing the job of engineering even more exciting for us.

Steven Young, Astronomy Now / Spaceflight Now: Steven Young with Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now for Hans or Omar. Could you tell us a little bit about the requirements you have for the weather, for the roll out? And what sort of things you might be concerned about tonight, in terms of the actual weather conditions?

Omar Baez, NASA LSP: So our main concern for both the launch vehicle and the spacecraft with this type of weather obviously, exposure to the moisture, lightning, that kind of thing. The vehicle is pretty robust, and we can launch in winds approximating 30 knots. So it's not going to be crazy at launch time from what Mike said, it's going to be fairly benign. I mean, he went to, he said clouds might be, or ground winds might trip us, but we're nowhere near those limits. In his predicts.

Steven Young, Astronomy Now / Spaceflight Now: In terms of the roll out tonight?

Omar Baez, NASA LSP: In terms of the roll out, obviously we can't have lightning in the area while the folks are trying to roll the vehicle out, because of safety exposures. And they're going to be using some lifts out there to do some of the work, so some of that might be limited if the wind is a little bit too strong. And that's up to the operator. Hans?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Yeah, it might be delayed for an hour or two, but I trust Mike with his forecast.

Mike Wall, Space.com: Mike Wall, Space.com. This one is probably Hans. Do you guys plan to try to recover the actual payload fairing on this flight? Are there any plans for that?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Good question, yes, excellent. So we will try to recover the fairing, but there's no catching the fairings, like we tried on the west coast. We have a boat there that will basically inspect them and pick them up. Same parachutes as the last attempt. I'm pretty confident we're going to make some progress towards final recovery here.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: And now we'll go to the phone bridge. I think we have Stephen Clark?

Stephen Clark, Spaceflight Now: Hi, Stephen Clark from Spaceflight Now. Thanks for taking me. A couple of questions. First, probably for Robert or Jeff, does one of you remember off-hand the distance from the moon during the lunar flyby next month? And for Hans, looking ahead to the first Block 5 mission, has that vehicle been delivered to Florida yet? That booster? And how did the testing go in McGregor? Thank you.

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: Yeah, Hi Stephen. Good to talk to you again. I answered the question a little bit earlier. It's a few thousands of kilometers, but I don't know the exact number off the top of my head. Goddard Space Flight Center Flight Dynamics has worked out all those intricate details, but I have confidence that we've got it targeted just right.

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: And the TESS cameras will not be on, so don't expect photographs of the moon as we flyby, or--

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: No moon selfie for this one.

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Yeah, regarding Block 5. Block 5 is here. We're all excited about that. We had a good test campaign in Texas. I believe it was faster than we've ever had on new block upgrades. But it certainly takes time to get everything worked out and tested on a block upgrade here. So I'm looking forward to that launch in early May.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: We'll go to Bill Harwood.

Bill Harwood, CBS News: Hi, Bill Harwood, CBS News. Two quick ones for Hans, and they're just nuts and bolts. I noticed the RSS is slowly vanishing before our eyes at 39A. Is the hinge, the hinge that is still there, is that coming down too? Or are we seeing basically how it's going to be down the road?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: I don't know that, unfortunately. I don't know that.

Bill Harwood, CBS News: Okay. And second one for you, or maybe it's for Mike. Lift off winds. I realize it depends on the angle that it's coming in, but can you give me a ballpark of what the constraints are, since you listed it in your forecast?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: I think the earlier number of 30mph is the right number. Yeah. It's high enough to not worry about it the entire time.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: We'll go to the front of the room.

Thaddeus Cesari, New York Observer: Hi. Thaddeus Cesari with the New York Observer. I was hoping to hear a little bit more about the James Webb telescope dual approach that's being applied here. Just a bit more detail on why you would do that, and what are some of the benefits? And as an extension, will the delay have any impact on the science?

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: So you're talking about us working with James Webb to, yeah. So think about it, when James Webb was first designed, there was no such thing as an exoplanet that had been discovered. So it wasn't purposely set out to have part of its mission be exoplanet research. So what's happened is, since Kepler's discoveries, there's been a thought that hey, this very powerful telescope could be used for things like understanding atmospheres of exoplanets. Turns out again though, that the Kepler targets that they looked at are very far away. Very dim. And you wouldn't get enough light. And the goal is, you've got this star shining, a planet passes in front of it. If the planet happens to have an atmosphere, that light comes through the planet's atmosphere. Some wavelengths are absorbed based on the chemical composition of the atmosphere. So what you see at Earth, or at the James Webb's L2 location, would be that spectrum that's had some of the elements reduced out of it, right? That's what they're going to be doing. So the goal is for us to find these bright targets that are close enough to Earth that it allows them to do that follow-up research. And they are not the only ones. So I think that's the key here. That it's not just a James Webb enabling thing we're doing. It's to find those targets all over the sky. Ground-based research, bigger and bigger telescopes are being built on the ground, right? Future thoughts in the astrophysics division at NASA to build bigger and bigger telescopes in space. So following all the way to wh ere you might be able to directly image an exoplanet someday, that's kind of the dream, right? Maybe you can study an atmosphere, but boy, wouldn't it be able to take, to be able to take a snapshot of an Earth-sized planet. Not just some big hot glowing planet, that maybe you can do today. So that's wh ere we fit in. And the fact that the James Webb's going to launch later only gives us more time to complete a survey, do some ground follow-up. Because some of the targets we're going to find are going to be false positives. We're going to look at the data, some ground research will follow up, and they'll say that really wasn't a planet, it was a giant starspot. You just got kind of tricked on that one. So we're going to make sure we get the best candidates, and so that delay doesn't really affect us. And again, the database, it's going to be stored at the MAST, it's the archive up at the Space Telescope Institute in Maryland. So the data will be there. And again, everyone, it'll be all calibrated data, the tools will be there to use the data, and as we've seen in Kepler, there are tons of university students out there who would love to go in the archive and find their own exoplanets. And that's what we're really counting on. So we're providing a giant dataset, let the community go at it and find the exoplanets.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: And we have three questions from #askNASA.

NASA Social Media: Yeah. First question here comes from twitter user [Jean?], who is asking for Robert Lockwood to answer. What will be the primary challenges that you see in getting to first light during the commissioning period? Are there any concerns?

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: No, no real concerns. We have a standard checkout of all the health systems of the spacecraft, during that five days. We check for power, attitude control, thermal control, that the radios work. So that's a standard process for us to follow. We'll then turn it over to fire up the instrument data processing computer, and then for them to turn on their cameras two days later and get first light. So all the procedures that we've instituted at our Mission Operations Center, and working with the Payload Operations Center at MIT, they're all ready to go. They are fully setup to do all those commissioning activities.

NASA Social Media: Alright, wonderful. Twitter user Phillip here is asking, was TESS processed and encapsulated at Astrotech, or a SpaceX facility, or somewh ere else?

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: Sure, so I'll pick that one too. We use the NASA Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, or PHSF, which is on-site here at Kennedy. We rolled in there on February 12th, had about two months of processing, and then were encapsulated there in the PHSF and transported over to the Space Launch Complex number 40 a few days ago.

NASA Social Media: Alright. And lastly talking about the orbits here, Twitter user Jimmy is asking how far from Earth will TESS orbit?

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: Okay, I'll take that one too. So the P/2 orbit has a 17 Earth-radius perigee, that is, the closest point of approach to the Earth is about twice the distance of the geosynchronous communications belt. Then it's apogee, or further point from the Earth, is 59 Earth radii, and that's out beyond the distance of the moon. But because we're in this resonance, dance orbit, and I'm remiss to wave my hands around like I've seen George Ricker do many times [waves hands around]. It's always out there when the moon's not there. So it's doing a dance that's always avoiding the moon and staying in this very stable resonant orbit.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: We'll go back to the front.

Chris Gebhardt, NASASpaceFlight: Chris Gebhardt with NASASpaceFlight again for Hans. I know the launch window is very, very short tomorrow, at only 30 seconds, but can you talk in general about any hold points in the count for Falcon 9 after fueling starts of RP-1. Can you hold the count at any point without having to recycle and de-tank? And when's the last moment in the count that you could do that?

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: So, I think we could hold it in the theory when we still load RP-1, but as soon as we start loading LOX, it's basically a commitment to go or not to go. I do want to point out, 30 seconds is basically, for that matter, an instantaneous launch window, more or less. But it has an upside. If there is a collision avoidance warning, we can move it a couple seconds left and right, and avoid it basically. So it's pretty easy for us to implement that.

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: Yeah, we-- [crosstalk] --I'll take it, sorry. That launch window. It is essentially instantaneous, but we have 30 seconds. It would only move to the right, actually. We're targeting the opening of the window. So if there is a COLA, a collision avoidance notice that we have to move it, our flight dynamics has set it up that we can move to the right as far as 30 seconds.

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: Yeah, and because there is no hold, and, so we're going to come in awfully early that morning, make sure the spacecraft powers up okay, and make sure we're ready to go. So even if we have to sit there idly for four or five hours, no problem. But if we run into any issues, we want to make sure we're ready to go when they go to fuel.

Ken Kremer, RocketSTEM / NEAF: Hi, Ken Kremer for Hans. Since InSight is launching in early May, you just mentioned early May for the Block 5. I'm wondering, is there any interference there, any days you have to avoid because of that? And for the NASA people, what is the follow-on exoplanet mission for after this? You used to have a coronagraph mission that I don't think you're doing anymore, what are the plans? Thanks.

Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: Yeah, regarding the early May launch, I'm pretty sure the range will just deconflict that by a couple of days, to make sure that we don't run into each other. The standard process.

Sandra Connelly, NASA SMD: And so, it's still in formulation, but WFIRST is also going to be exploring exoplanet.

Ken Kremer, RocketSTEM / NEAF: Besides WFIRST. I understand that.

Sandra Connelly, NASA SMD: So I do not have the details on that for you. I'll have to get back to you. I'm new to my job, so--

Ken Kremer, RocketSTEM / NEAF: They're not doing the coronagraph mission I guess, right?

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: I think there's still a lot of talk about doing something like that, I don't think there's any specific plans to do. And there's a lot of different ideas on how to do it. I think again the tools are being developed, people are thinking about it, but there's no funded program to finish and build something of that sort yet. I think as Sandra said, that WFIRST is really the focus right now as the next step.

Joshua Finch, Moderator: [gestures to the front]

Thaddeus Cesari, New York Observer: Just one more, Thaddeus Cesari, New York Observer. How do you think the public is going to react to this science when it hits the mainstream? What are your expectations for the science when it happens?

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: I'll take this one, it's fine for me. When I talk to my wife about this, who's a little bit close to it because her husband's working it for eight years, but she's not a scientist. And she is very excited about it. She sees it as extraordinary stuff. I've worked other missions before that weren't quite as compelling to her, they were exciting, but the idea of finding other things on other planets really just sparks something in people. So I think it'll catch on like wildfire. Kepler got a lot of hot topics everywhere. I think TESS is going to bring that to yet another level.

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: Yeah, and I think that's the thing. If you look at what Kepler found, nobody assumed there'd be a planet that might be made all of diamond. Or that there could be worlds that are all covered in water, and things like that. So I think when everybody says like, what's your favorite exoplanet, I think mine's going to be whatever we find. And it's going to be solar systems we never imagined possible, that you use our model and say, how did they come up with that? There's different ways of forming solar systems that we don't even understand right now. And I think the other thing too about TESS is, it's all about this, call it citizen science or what you may. It's that our goal is not... In the Kepler case, the team went through the data over, and over, and over again. Identified all the exoplanets. But then, as they did that, the community at large started to learn how to write software to do that. So what's going to happen with TESS that's most exciting for me is that people all over the world are going to go to that data archive, and years from now they're going to say hey, I found a couple more planets over here. And so I think that engagement of a broad community, versus just some few exoplanet experts, the world of exoplanets is now so big as a scientific community, that you're going to get a lot of science performed all around the world with our data, and that's pretty exciting.

Robert Lockwood, Orbital ATK: Yeah, and you know the other thing that is connected to this, is that NASA asked for students, children, to draw their imaginations of what exoplanets would be, and submit them. And we got tens of thousands, I forget the exact total number, that we then loaded on to a memory stick that's actually glued on to the bottom of the spacecraft, and it's going to go into orbit with her. So there was tremendous excitement about it, and some of those pictures are quite fantastic.

Jeff Volosin, TESS project manager: Yeah, and now you have little kids that understand what an exoplanet is. I mean, that's a pretty incredible time in our history, that you now have little kids that grew up with this idea. "Oh yeah, there's plenty of planets out there."

Joshua Finch, Moderator: And do we have any remaining questions in the room? And with that we'll conclude today's briefing. A reminder that the launch of TESS is scheduled for 6:32PM tomorrow night. NASA television coverage will begin at 6PM. Until then you can keep up with the mission by going to www.nasa.gov/spacex (http://www.nasa.gov/spacex) or you can follow us on social media. Thank you.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьLive coverage: NASA planet-hunting satellite aboard Falcon 9 launch Monday
April 16, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

04/16/2018 05:54 Stephen Clark

SpaceX plans to roll the Falcon 9 rocket set for launch with TESS out of the company's hangar at the Complex 40 launch pad shortly after midnight EDT (0400 GMT), then lift the rocket vertical a few hours later for final pre-flight checkouts.

Storms have pushed through Florida's Space Coast this evening, and conditions are now improving.

There is an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for the mission's 30-second launch opportunity Monday, which opens at 6:32:07 p.m. EDT (2232:07 GMT).

The primary weather concern Monday is gusty westerly winds after the passage of a cold front, according to the official outlook issued by the U.S. Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron.

Winds are predicted to be between 20 and 25 mph, with the meteorologists forecasting mostly sunny evening skies and a temperature of around 69 degrees Fahrenheit at launch time.

ЦитироватьUpcoming Events (All Times Eastern)

[/li]
• 7 a.m., Monday, April 16 - NASA Television TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Programming (all channels)
• 10 a.m., Monday, April 16 - NASA Edge: TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Live Broadcast (all channels)
• 11 a.m., Monday, April 16 - NASA Television TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Programming (all channels)
• 5 p.m., Monday, April 16 - NASA Television TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Programming (all channels)
• 6 p.m., Monday, April 16 - TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Launch Coverage (launch scheduled for 6:32 p.m.) (all channels)
• 9 p.m., Monday, April 16 - Replay of the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Launch (all channels)
• 11 p.m., Monday, April 16 - Replay of the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) Launch (all channels)
  

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 26 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/985850610565156864)

The @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) for @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) is vertical on SLC-40 @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy). Go #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162390.jpg)

ЦитироватьUpdated: 04/16/2018 16:30 Stephen Clark

The Falcon 9 rocket slated to launch NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is standing vertical at pad 40 this morning after an overnight rollout in preparation for liftoff at 6:32:07 p.m. EDT (2232:07 GMT).

Ground crews are completing hands-on work at the launch pad this morning, then will evacuate the facility in advance of fueling. Launch teams with representatives from NASA and SpaceX will begin monitoring countdown activities around three hours before liftoff.

The launch team will oversee loading of high-pressure helium into the rocket, then give the "go" to pump RP-1 kerosene into the Falcon 9 at 5:22 p.m. EDT (2122 GMT). Super-cold liquid oxygen will begin flowing into the two-stage rocket at 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 GMT).

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 11 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/985887380606300161)

Falcon 9 and @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) are vertical on Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Weather is 80% favorable for today's launch at 6:32 p.m. EDT, 22:32 UTC.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162399.jpg)

ЦитироватьSpaceX poised to launch planet-hunter
April 16, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/) | William Harwood (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/bill-harwood/)

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS (http://www.cbsnews.com/) & USED WITH PERMISSION

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144328.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Credit: NASA

SpaceX readied a Falcon 9 rocket for takeoff Monday to launch a planet-hunting satellite for NASA that will monitor the light fr om countless stars to find potentially habitable planets worthy of follow-up studies by more powerful ground- and space-based observatories.

The Falcon 9, carrying the $337 million Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, was scheduled for launch from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:32 p.m. EDT (GMT-4) Monday, the opening of a short 30-second window. Forecasters predicted an 80 percent chance of favorable weather.

Спойлер

The launching will mark SpaceX's eighth so far this year and the 53rd of a Falcon 9 overall. The company hopes to recover the rocket's first stage with a landing on an off-shore droneship, the "Of Course I Still Love You." If successful, the California rocket-builder's record will stand at 24 booster landings, 12 on land and 12 on the deck of a ship.

The rocket's second stage engine was expected to fire twice before releasing TESS into an elliptical orbit 49 minutes after launch. If all goes well, the spacecraft will fly past the moon on May 16 for a gravity-assist flyby that will put it in a unique 13.7-day orbit that will repeatedly use lunar gravity to maintain a stable trajectory.

Once on station, TESS's four 16.8-megapixel cameras, each equipped with four state-of-the-art CCD detectors, will spend at least two years monitoring starlight across the southern and then northern skies, on the lookout for the tell-tale dimming that occurs when a planet moves in front of its host star — a transit — as viewed from the spacecraft.

By carefully studying how the light dims and then brightens, astronomers analyzing TESS data will be able to detect the presence of worlds around countless stars across 85 percent of the sky, ranging from Earth-size planets to so-called "super Earths" and on up the scale to gas giants as large or larger than Jupiter.

But the goal is to identify stars hosting relatively small, rocky Earth-like planets orbiting in the habitable zones of their suns at distances that allow water to exist as a liquid, a requirement for life as it is known on Earth.

Prime candidates from TESS's survey will, in turn, be studied in detail by NASA's powerful James Webb Space Telescope after its launch in 2020, by an upcoming European Space Agency space telescope and follow-on spacecraft as well as huge ground-based observatories currently under construction.

"You can think of TESS as the finder scope for the James Webb Space Telescope," astrophysicist Padi Boyd, TESS deputy project scientist, told CBS News. "TESS is basically the discoverer, it's going to find the really exciting planets that we can then follow up with powerful telescopes."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144278.jpg)
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is prepared for encapsulation inside the Falcon 9 rocket's nose shroud. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Paul Hertz, director of astrophysics at NASA Headquarters, said with those larger telescopes, "we'll be able to look for tell-tale signs in the atmospheres of those planets that might tell us what the planets are made of and perhaps even whether they have the kinds of gases that on Earth are an indication of life."

"TESS itself will not be able to find life beyond Earth," he said, "but TESS will help us figure out wh ere to point our larger telescopes in that search."

Since its launch in 2009, NASA's Kepler space telescope, which also monitored shadow transits, has discovered thousands of exoplanets in a target area much smaller than TESS's. Based on statistical analysis, astronomers now believe virtually every star in the Milky Way hosts, or once hosted, one or more planets.

TESS, built by Orbital ATK, was designed to take the search for exoplanets to another level, vastly expanding the number of stars monitored.

TESS's four cameras, developed at MIT, are arranged to shoot 24-degree-wide squares stretching from the celestial equator to the poles, spending 27 days to collect a single 96-degree long sector. The spacecraft then will adjust its orientation and spend another 27 days collecting another sector. And so on.

During a 27-day observation period, TESS will monitor the brightness of every star visible in all four cameras every 30 minutes. Fifteen thousand stars in each sector, sel ected before launch as prime candidates to host exoplanets, will be monitored every two minutes.

It will take a year to collect the 13 sectors needed to map the southern sky and another year to map its northern counterpart.

By the end of its initial two-year mission, TESS will have measured starlight across 85 percent of the sky. And unlike Kepler, the new observatory is optimized to study light from the most common stars in the galaxy, reddish M dwarfs that are smaller and cooler than Earth's sun.

"I think it's fair to say that the CCDs that TESS is flying are the most perfect CCDs that have ever been flown on any science mission, NASA or otherwise," said George Ricker, TESS principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "We're very sensitive to cool stars. It turns out that the majority of the stars in the Milky Way are cool stars that have a temperature about half that of the sun.

"So we've optimized the field in such a way, because these are the types of stars that were really not possible to explore very well with Kepler."

And because the M dwarf stars are one-half to one-quarter the diameter of Earth's sun, when an exoplanet passes in from "it makes a much deeper shadow," Ricker said. "Also, they're cooler, so they emit less light, therefore the habitable zone is very close in, and the probability that you're going to have a transit is greatly increased."

While TESS is fine tuned to find Earth-size or slightly larger planets orbiting their stars in those close-in habitable zones it also will collect data about larger planets orbiting brighter stars.

"You can go out on a dark night and you can see 6,000 stars or so in the sky with your naked eye," said Ricker. "We're going to look at every single one of those stars, and that's the real science yield that we're going to have with TESS.

"Once we find the planets associated with them, those are going to be the primary candidates that everyone — all astronomers for centuries to come — (are) going to focus on. That's the excitement that we have about this mission. This is really a mission for the ages."

The stuff of science fiction just a few decades ago, astronomers now envision using powerful new ground- and space-based telescopes in the years ahead to spectroscopically study starlight passing through the atmospheres of such exoplanets to look for traces of chemicals generated by industrial activity.

While that will take instruments not yet built, "the TESS planets should be really great candidates for us to start to peer into the atmospheres of these planets with spectroscopy, what allows us to put together the atoms and molecules making up that atmosphere," Boyd said.

But it will not be easy, and "we're going to need extremely large telescopes to start to really put the signatures of the atmospheres into perspective and search for life signs," she said.

Kepler, Boyd said, was designed to answer one question: how common are Earth-like planets orbiting in the habitable zones of sun-like stars.

"The answer we got fr om Kepler was that planets are everywhere and that on average, every star in the Milky Way has a planet," she said. "So that's hundreds of billions of planets in our galaxy. ... Now TESS is taking Kepler's results, that planets are everywhere, and TESS will find the nearest transiting exoplanet systems to Earth."

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьNASA EDGE: TESS Live Show

NASA EDGE (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEPgFeclBHqZp80D14J5kfA)

Трансляция началась 1 час назад

ЦитироватьHow Winking Stars Point Us To Distant Worlds

NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 16 апр. 2018 г.

How do we spot something as tiny and faint as a planet trillions of miles away? The trick is to look at the star! So far, most of the exoplanets – worlds beyond our solar system – we've found were detected by looking for tiny dips in the brightness of their host stars! These dips are caused by the planet passing between us and its star – an event called a "transit."

Our newest planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), will seek out transits around 200,000 of the nearest and brightest stars in the sky.

ЦитироватьPhotos: TESS prepared for launch in Florida
April 16, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

These photos show NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite undergoing preparations for launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Спойлер

These photos show the 798-pound (362-kilogram) spacecraft, built by Orbital ATK, deploying its power-generating solar panels during a ground test in February at KSC's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. TESS was encapsulated inside the Falcon 9 rocket's payload shroud last week in preparation for its transfer to SpaceX's rocket hangar at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad.

TESS will survey approximately 90 percent of the sky with a suite of four 16.8-megapixel cameras, spending the first half of its baselined two-year mission looking at the southern sky, then pointing at swaths of the northern sky in year two of the observing campaign.

The observatory will detect transits, or blips in starlight, as planets pass between TESS and their host stars. The mission will focus on roughly 200,000 bright, nearby stars, including all the stars visible to the naked eye in the night sky, making TESS's discoveries prime candidates for more detailed follow-up research by ground-based telescopes and NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

Liftoff is set for Monday at 6:32 p.m. EDT (2232 GMT).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144260.jpg)
Credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144253.jpg)
Credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144258.jpg)
Credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144230.jpg)
Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144278.jpg)
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is prepared for encapsulation inside the Falcon 9 rocket's nose shroud. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144229.jpg)
Credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144238.jpg)
Credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144237.jpg)
Credit: NASA

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьFalcon 9 launch timeline with TESS
April 16, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Monday, heading east over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite into orbit approximately 49 minutes after launch.

Спойлер

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket is poised for launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:32:07 p.m. EDT (2232:07 GMT) Monday at the opening of a 30-second launch window.

NASA's 798-pound (362-kilogram) Transiting Exoplanet Survey satellite is perched atop the rocket to begin a two-year all-sky survey in search of planets around bright stars in our solar neighborhood.

SpaceX will attempt to recover the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster on a drone ship parked in the Atlantic Ocean downrange from Cape Canaveral.

The timeline below outlines the launch sequence for the Falcon 9 flight with TESS, which will be injected into an elliptical transfer orbit ranging in altitude between roughly 120 miles (200 kilometers) and 168,000 miles (270,000 kilometers). TESS will use its own propulsion system, and a lunar flyby maneuver May 16, to steer into an observing orbit in resonance with the moon.

Data source: SpaceX

T-0:00:00: Liftoff

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31291.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31291.jpg)
After the rocket's nine Merlin engines pass an automated health check, hold-down clamps will release the Falcon 9 booster for liftoff from pad 40.

T+0:01:08: Mach 1

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31292.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31292.jpg)
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Mach 1, the speed of sound, as the nine Merlin 1D engines provide more than 1.7 million pounds of thrust.

T+0:01:16: Max Q

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31293.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31293.jpg)
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure.

T+0:02:29: MECO

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31294.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31294.jpg)
The Falcon 9's nine Merlin 1D engines shut down.

T+0:02:32: Stage 1 Separation

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31295.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31295.jpg)
The Falcon 9's first stage separates from the second stage moments after MECO.

T+0:02:34: First Ignition of Second Stage

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31296.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31296.jpg)
The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for a six-minute burn to put the rocket and TESS into a preliminary parking orbit.

T+0:03:05: Fairing Jettison

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31297.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31297.jpg)
The 5.2-meter (17.1-foot) diameter payload fairing jettisons once the Falcon 9 rocket ascends through the dense lower atmosphere. The 43-foot-tall fairing is made of two clamshell-like halves composed of carbon fiber with an aluminum honeycomb core.

T+0:08:17: SECO 1

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31299.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31299.jpg)
The second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket shuts down after reaching a preliminary low-altitude orbit. The upper stage and TESS begin a coast phase scheduled to last more than 32 minutes before the second stage Merlin vacuum engine reignites.

T+0:40:50: Second Ignition of Second Stage

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31301.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31301.jpg)
The Falcon 9's second stage Merlin engine restarts to propel the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite into an elliptical high Earth orbit ranging between roughly 120 miles (200 kilometers) and 168,000 miles (270,000 kilometers) above Earth.

T+0:41:49: SECO 2

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31302.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31302.jpg)
The Merlin engine shuts down after a short burn to put the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite in the proper orbit for deployment.

T+0:48:42: TESS Separation

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31303.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31303.jpg)
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite separates from the Falcon 9 rocket in its elliptical high Earth transfer orbit.

[свернуть]

Цитировать04/16/2018 19:13 Stephen Clark

Here are a couple of photos of the Falcon 9 rocket on its launch pad this morning at Cape Canaveral. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/124407.jpg)
(https://24liveblog.tradingfront.cn/event/7dcb99fe412011e8a0c5aa580ffdf178/20180416161330_869801.jpg?random=1523895202671)

ЦитироватьНАСА готово запустить на орбиту космический аппарат размером со стиральную машину и стоимостью 337 миллионов USD, целью которого станут поиски планет за пределами Солнечной системы, в частности планет размером с Землю, обращающихся вокруг близлежащих звезд. Спутник Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) отправится в космос в понедельник, 16 апреля, в 6:32 вечера по местному времени (22:32 GMT) на борту ракеты-носителя Falcon 9 со стартовой площадки космодрома, расположенного на мысе Канаверал, штат Флорида, США. Основной целью этой миссии на следующие, два года станет сканирование более чем 200 000 самых ярких близлежащих звезд в поисках планет, обращающихся вокруг них и вызывающих характерное периодическое снижение яркости родительской звезды при прохождении перед ее диском. Согласно прогнозам НАСА миссия TESS поможет открыть свыше 20000 экзопланет, включая 50 планет размером с Землю и до 500 планет размером не более двух диаметров Земли.
Спутник TESS создавался отчасти как научный преемник аппарата Kepler («Кеплер») американского космического агентства, который стал первым в своем роде «охотником за планетами», открывшим для нас тысячи далеких планет. В настоящее время у стареющего космического телескопа иссякают запасы топлива, и его миссия естественным образом подходит к завершению. Спутник TESS, оснащенный четырьмя современными камерами, будет сканировать область неба, размер которой превышает в 350 раз размер области неба, наблюдаемой «Кеплером» - новая миссия просканирует в течение двух лет примерно 85 процентов всего неба.
Согласно НАСА шанс на то, что погода сегодня будет благоприятствовать запуску, оценивается в 80 процентов.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 9 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985968640695701505)

Scrubbed for today. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/684033332468953088/t36WsBlI_bigger.jpg)Laura Mayorga‏ @mayorgalc (https://twitter.com/mayorgalc) 19 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/mayorgalc/status/985966778978316295)

We're being told the launch had been scrubbed for 48 hrs @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) #TESSyay (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESSyay?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29831.jpg)William Harwood‏ @cbs_spacenews (https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/985970109989707778)

F9/TESS: Multiple sources indicating TESS launch delayed to 6:51pm EDT Wednesday; no official word yet

Цитировать04/16/2018 22:59 Stephen Clark

Multiple sources say the next launch opportunity will come at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT) Wednesday. The launch times change based on TESS's orbital target and the position of the moon, which the satellite will use to help maneuver into its final high-altitude science orbit.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 43 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/985975566535831552)

Standing down today to conduct additional GNC analysis, and teams are now working towards a targeted launch of @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) on Wednesday, April 18.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/985975802499162113)

So that's Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) as the reason from #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) for the scrub today. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать

[SIZE=9]TESS MISSION[/SIZE]

SpaceX is targeting launch of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) on Wednesday, April 18 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The 30-second launch window opens at 6:51 p.m. EDT, or 22:51 UTC. TESS will be deployed into a highly elliptical orbit approximately 48 minutes after launch.

ЦитироватьАнатолий Ревзин (http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/user/16612/) пишет:
Так чего сломалось? Навигация и контроль на земле или ракета?

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185344.jpg)NASA_LSP‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) 19 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/985985707847057408)

"We set about building (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125462.png) models of (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png) and its systems from liftoff through orbit insertion (that part of flight when the rocket's GNC system is active) factoring in the timing & effects of possible disturbances like (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125316.png)gusts or variations in engine performance" #askNASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/askNASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash)

ЦитироватьThese watch items had been identified in the customary Launch Readiness Review that is conducted as a final look at all systems supporting the mission as well as closing out reviews into any out-of-family conditions occurring on the most recent launch of the vehicle. It was the latter that prompted additional studies and eventually led to launch efforts on Monday being abandoned to provide time for an in-depth review focused on the Falcon 9 second stage and its flight profile.

ЦитироватьTESS Launch Delayed to NET Wednesday for Additional Falcon 9 Reviews
 April 16, 2018 (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/tess-launch-delayed-for-gnc-reviews/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153885.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/04/TESSonpad.jpeg)
Photo: NASA

NASA's pursuit of Earth 2.0 will have to wait at least another two days for a critical search asset to head into orbit as the launch of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was delayed fr om Monday to provide time for additional Guidance, Navigation & Control System analysis. Liftoff has been tentatively rescheduled for Wednesday with a half-minute window opening at 22:51 UTC – pending resolution of all outstanding items.

SpaceX Launch Controllers abandoned Monday's launch attempt at T-3 hours and 4 minutes, well before the start of any setup operations for loading the Falcon 9 rocket with propellants. Word of the delay was slow to percolate until SpaceX officially confirmed the scrub less than two and a half hours before the brief T-0 opportunity.

Спойлер

Launch preparations involving the TESS spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket – a factory new Block 4 vehicle – had been running smoothly toward an April 16 liftoff, a target that had stuck since mid February. The two-stage rocket went through its customary Static Fire Test last Wednesday to cross off the standard end-to-end test of its onboard systems culminating in the brief ignition of the nine Merlin 1D engines.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153872.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/40600050072_bff181b91d_o.jpg)
Photo: NASA Kennedy

TESS had been readying for launch at the Kennedy Space Center since February, receiving maneuvering propellant and completing final checkouts before installation atop the Falcon 9 payload adapter. The 1.5-meter tall spacecraft looked somewhat lonely inside the 13-meter Falcon 9 payload fairing when it was encapsulated on April 9/10 followed by the transfer over to the pad-side hangar at Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 40 for integration with the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket.

The plan for Falcon 9 was to become the second orbital-class rocket to depart Florida's Space Coast in under 48 hours, coming right on the heels of Saturday's successful Atlas V mission (http://spaceflight101.com/afspc-11/) with the CBAS military communications satellite and EAGLE experimental platform. Rollout of the Falcon 9 rocket was planned for midnight, but the rocket was kept sheltered for a little longer to allow a frontal boundary and associated thunderstorms to pass over Cape Canaveral before moving the vehicle to the pad.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153884.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/04/TESSonpad1.jpeg)
Photo: SpaceX

All appeared to go by the book as the 70-meter tall Falcon 9 entered its vertical launch position and began a lengthy countdown with a detailed checkout of its electrical and flight control systems. However, behind the scenes, discussions had been underway since Sunday morning on open items on the launch vehicle side.

These watch items had been identified in the customary Launch Readiness Review that is conducted as a final look at all systems supporting the mission as well as closing out reviews into any out-of-family conditions occurring on the most recent launch of the vehicle. It was the latter that prompted additional studies and eventually led to launch efforts on Monday being abandoned to provide time for an in-depth review focused on the Falcon 9 second stage and its flight profile.

"Standing down today to conduct additional GNC analysis, and teams are now working towards a targeted launch of NASA TESS on Wednesday, April 18," SpaceX Tweeted after the countdown was stopped.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153879.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/tessorbit5-1.jpg)
Image: TESS Project

Launch opportunities for TESS are dependent on the geometry between the Cape Canaveral launch site and a planned lunar flyby of the spacecraft after three and a half phasing loops around Earth – essentially setting up a precisely timed flyby window a month in advance. As a result of its orbit design (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/tess-orbit-design/), TESS has several blocks of consecutive launch opportunities per month with single- or multi-day gaps between them.

Wednesday's half-minute launch window opens at 22:51 UTC – creating an instantaneous shot at getting TESS off the planet with some wiggle room for collision avoidance, if needed. The mission has daily launch opportunities through April 21st and again from the 23rd to the 26th. Weather for launch opportunities on Wednesday & Thursday appears very favorable with only a 10% chance of violating launch criteria, according to the 45th Space Wing.

Should TESS still be on the ground by then, NASA would request SpaceX to enter and extended stand-down because NASA's Launch Services Program would have to shift to the West Coast launch of the InSight Mars lander (http://spaceflight101.com/insight/) on May 5th atop an Atlas V rocket. Limited personnel does not allow the LSP to support simultaneous campaigns and InSight will take priority due to its interplanetary launch window that is open only once every 26 months.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153876.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/tess_lava_planet_rotated.jpg)
Image: NASA

Falcon 9 will be tasked with lifting the 360-Kilogram Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/) into a highly elliptical orbit peaking around 270,000 Kilometers above the planet from wh ere it will be up to the spacecraft to go through an incredibly elaborate orbital ballet involving thruster firings and a lunar gravity assist. If all goes well, TESS will achieve a unique lunar-resonant orbit with a period of half a lunar day – chosen because it provides the mission with a disturbance-free observation environment from a thermal, radiation and stray-light standpoint.

Taking a detailed exoplanet inventory across 85% of the sky, TESS is expected to detect and characterize in excess of 10,000 new planets including a rather large sample of around 500 Earth-sized and Super Earth planets including some in the habitable zones around their host stars. Capable of delivering a detailed inventory of potentially habitable exoplanets, TESS is considered a critical precursor to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope that will be tasked with detailed characterization of potentially habitable worlds far from Earth.

>> TESS Instrument Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/tess-instrument/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153882.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/04/27564333458_4684d46cdd_k.jpg)
TESS Encapsulation – Photo: NASA Kennedy

TESS has been optimized through its optical design to observe stars 30 to 100 times brighter than those observed by Kepler, focusing on easy-to-study exoplanets in Earth's astronomical neighborhood (up to distances of 300 light years) – covering G, K and M-type stars with optical magnitudes brighter than Mag 12. The ultimate goal for TESS is the creation of a large catalog of the nearest and brightest stars hosting exoplanets to keep the scientific community busy for years to come.

The reason behind focusing TESS on the solar neighborhood is a desire to identify exoplanets that can be easily studied with current ground-based telescopes and space telescopes that are already under development like James Webb and the budget-threatened WFIRST. Follow-up observations of astronomically-close exoplanets will yield their mass, size and density to allow for a basic differentiation between rocky planets, ice giants or gaseous worlds like Jupiter while spectral observations will shed light on the composition of their atmosphere – a critical piece of information when assessing their habitability from afar.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185659.jpg)James Dean‏Подлинная учетная запись @flatoday_jdean (https://twitter.com/flatoday_jdean) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/flatoday_jdean/status/985969304121331713)

A crowd is inquiring about status of today's Falcon 9/#TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) launch attempt, since countdown clock has stopped at 3:04:48.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 39 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986013014175485952)

TESS planned trajectory for Apr 18 launch now on https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi  (https://t.co/bXvzKWwm8V) Osculating orbit at separation 248 x 270461 km x 29.6 deg, node 38 deg, AOP 228 deg.

37 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986013517567463429)

Planned lunar flyby at altitude of 8100 km at 2018 May 17, 0634 TT

ЦитироватьApril 17, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY M18-059

NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Planet-Hunting Mission
...

L-0 Day (Wednesday, April 18 )

News Media Schedule

[/li]
• 6:30 p.m. – Launch Coverage Begins
• 6:51 p.m. – TESS Launch
  

...

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/986586188336259072)

Sunrise @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) and @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) inside the @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) is vertical once again. The team is ready for today's launch attempt. Go #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) Go #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162864.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 5 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/986603725140537344)

All systems and weather are go for Falcon 9's launch of @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) today at 6:51 p.m. EDT, or 22:51 UTC. http://spacex.com/webcast  (https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162860.jpg)

Цитировать04/18/2018 15:57 Stephen Clark

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has been raised vertical again at Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad in preparation for a launch attempt at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT) today.

ЦитироватьUpdated: 04/18/2018 16:55 Stephen Clark

Today's 30-second launch window opens at 6:51:30 p.m. EDT (2251:30 GMT), according to a NASA spokesperson.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986608603640541187)

Good mornng. @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) (@TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT)) is ready to launch tonight at 18:51 EDT (22:51 UTC). #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) reports that all systems are "go for launch" after a 2 day stand down to look at the Guidance Navigation and Control system of the #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash). #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash)

Цитировать04/18/2018 18:09 Stephen Clark

NASA has provided an update to the launch time tonight: 6:51:31 p.m. EDT (2251:31 GMT).

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 26 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986688220900577283)

Our exact launch window today is 18:51:31 - 18:52:01 EDT (22:51:31 - 22:52:01 UTC). #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

ЦитироватьUpdated: 04/18/2018 22:51 Stephen Clark

T-minus 3 hours and counting. NASA and SpaceX launch team members are gathering in preparation for final countdown activities, which will include fueling of the Falcon 9 rocket with kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants.

The launch team will oversee loading of high-pressure helium into the rocket, then give the "go" to pump RP-1 kerosene into the Falcon 9 at 5:41 p.m. EDT (2141 GMT). Super-cold liquid oxygen will begin flowing into the two-stage rocket at 6:16 p.m. EDT (2216 GMT).

ЦитироватьДимитър (http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/user/13843/) пишет:
Что там?

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186390.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/986702908308840448)

Launching #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) required #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) to obtain a Category 2 certification from NASA's Launch Services Program - explaining why it is launching on the last new Block 4 and not the new Block 5 which will have to go through certification for LSP and NASA Commercial Crew missions.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 6 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986708825045684225)

T-2hrs and COUNTING. Everything continues to proceed smoothly with the count at this time. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 11 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/986707965892857858)

It has been a long road to launch for @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS), the team has worked to design, assemble, test, ship the observatory over the course of the last five years. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162871.jpg)

Цитировать04/19/2018 00:11 Stephen Clark

If SpaceX is successful in recovering the Falcon 9 first stage on today's launch, the company wants to refly on the next Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station, set for June 28. Such a move is pending NASA approval.

Цитировать04/19/2018 00:31 Stephen Clark

T-minus 1 hour, 20 minutes. Here are some statistics on today's mission:

[/li]
• 53rd launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010
• 59th launch of Falcon rocket family since 2006
• 44th Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral
• 33rd launch of the upgraded Falcon 9
• 10th launch by SpaceX with an Orbital ATK satellite
• 2nd launch by SpaceX for NASA's Launch Services Program
• 34th Falcon 9 day launch
• 7th Falcon 9 launch of 2018
• 8th launch by SpaceX in 2018
• 9th launch from Cape Canaveral in 2018
• 30th attempt by SpaceX to recover a first stage booster
  

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185344.jpg)NASA_LSP‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/986719146263052288)

The @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) team recently conducted a communications polls with the other organizations on the nets today. We are approaching polling of the teams for propellant loading. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125535.png)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185344.jpg)NASA_LSP‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) 50 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/986721147248168962)

There are no Collision Avoidance (COLA) cutouts today, so we will launch at the open of the 30 second window occurring at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2261 UTC). COLA is a check by the Range that the rocket's trajectory isn't expected to encounter other objects in space. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125535.png)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986721010367033344)

Go for prop load reported. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186390.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 52 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/986723942344904704)

T-1 Hour to today's half-minute window to send #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) on its way, driven by the precise geometry between the Cape Canaveral Launch Site & the moon to set up a flyby after three and a half phasing loops around Earth. Countdown appears to be running nominally so far.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186390.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/986725400494641153)

Hazard area and flight area clearance is being verified by the Eastern Range prior to LOX load and AFTS downrange tracking stations provide a final verification of readiness as well. #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185344.jpg)NASA_LSP‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/986728402009944064)

NASA Launch Manager Omar Baez has conducted a poll and his team is ready to proceed with the liquid oxidizer (LOX) loading. LOX= the super cold (cryogenic) fluid loaded onto #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png) for #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash), which reaches with the kerosene (RP-1) in the engines to propel (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png) to space.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162900.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162904.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 24 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986734407527514113)

Beginning process of transitioning TESS to internal power for launch. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986734791763644416)

Eastern Range confirms they are GO FOR LAUNCH. No violations of air or sea and there are no weather issues. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/986735702187630592)

The scene at Of Course I Still Love You. Let's hope OctaGrabber is in his garage and ready for a bit of grabbing.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162907.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186390.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/986736468793184256)

Flight Profile: http://bit.ly/2JMKbJd  (https://t.co/BFS9DglpbA) Stage 1 will fire for 149 sec before heading for its powered return toward Of Course I Still Love You. Stage 2 will lift #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) into a Parking Orbit via a 5.5-minute burn; re-start at T+43 min will inject it into a highly elliptical orbit
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162908.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162909.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986736853687701505)

TESS is on internal power. #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)

Цитировать04/19/2018 01:46 Stephen Clark

The Falcon 9's navigation system is now self-aligning.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 15 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/986741430566686723)

And Falcon 9 B1045.1 has landed on SpaceX's ASDS "Of Course I Still Love You"! To date, 24 booster lives have been saved. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125484.png)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162887.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162888.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162889.jpg)

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 16 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986741563421351937)

TESS in parking orbit
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162891.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 15 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986742377137270789)

TESS/Falcon 9 second burn scheduled for 2334 UTC, half an hour from now. This is a little later in the launch sequence than for Monday's attempt, basically due to changed location of the Moon

ЦитироватьЗловредный (http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/user/16816/) пишет:
tnt22 , спасибо за репортаж!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185976.jpg)Heather Archuletta‏ @Pillownaut (https://twitter.com/Pillownaut) 20 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/Pillownaut/status/986744413832425472)

3 phasing loops in the #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) timeline, followed by a Translunar Injection maneuver that sends #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) to lunar flyby. Flyby raises perigee to mission altitude. At next perigee, Period Adjust Maneuver (PAM) will be performed to place it in a 2:1 resonant orbit with the Moon.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162890.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986750235333615616)

Second stage cutoff. TESS show now be in its phasing loop orbit. Separation in five minutes

1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986750614704132096)

Inertial velocity now 10.4 km/s. Alttiude starting to climb - now 322 km. Apogee is 270,000 km

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/986751912899895297)

Successful deployment of @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) to a highly elliptical orbit confirmed.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162895.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986752131611938816)

Solar array deployment scheduled for 2349 UTC, 6 min from now

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 41 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986754220266348544)

And solar array deployment in work! #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) (@TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT))

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186390.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 22 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/986754443575201792)

#TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) successfully deployed the first of its two power-generating solar arrays.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185344.jpg)NASA_LSP‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/986754803081588737)

Both solar arrays of #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125535.png) have deployed!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186390.jpg)Spaceflight101 LIVE‏ @S101_Live (https://twitter.com/S101_Live) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/S101_Live/status/986755008875122688)

#TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) successfully deployed both of its solar arrays, looking good in orbit as it checks off the first steps of its mission. The next milestone will be a calibration & perigee raising near the first apogee of the orbit before the big burn next time is passes Earth.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986754886023905281)

With confirmation of successful solar array deployment, its mission success for the launch phase. Another achievement unlocked. #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) @TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT) @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162898.jpg)

Цитировать04/19/2018 02:58 TESS is power positive Spaceflight Now

The TESS spacecraft is receiving power generated by its twin solar arrays and ground controllers are poring over telemetry as they check out of the spacecraft's systems following launch.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185344.jpg)NASA_LSP‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_LSP (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/986755623399428096)

The #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125513.png) is coasting and will perform a Contamination and Collision Avoidance Maneuver (CCAM), including a third burn, to follow NASA orbital debris requirements. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162897.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986755973829353473)

TESS now 4700 km above the Earth's surface. It will make a lunar flyby on May 17 and reach its observing orbit on Jun 12.

ЦитироватьAPRIL 18, 2018

TESS MISSION

On Wednesday, April 18th at 6:51 p.m. EDT, SpaceX successfully launched NASA's TESS spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage successfully landed on "Of Course I Still Love You," SpaceX's droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Falcon 9 delivered TESS to a highly elliptical orbit and the spacecraft was deployed approximately 49 minutes after liftoff.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 30 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986757739316744193)

Deep Space Network (DSN) has contact with @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)! #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162903.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 19 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986760685165207552)

TESS is coasting through Earth's intense radiation belts; current altitude 10650 km and increasing.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 15 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/986762075052658689)

Venus, a crescent moon, and a gorgeous deep red sunset bid us farewell from @NASAKennedy (https://twitter.com/NASAKennedy) after the successful launch of @TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT) (@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)). #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash) #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162906.jpg)

ЦитироватьSpaceX Falcon 9 launches TESS & Falcon 9 first stage landing

SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)

Опубликовано: 18 апр. 2018 г.

ЦитироватьLaunch of SpaceX Falcon 9 with NASA's TESS Satellite

Space Videos (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdF5d0UwSJJunRcRVzP1uDg)

Трансляция началась 3 часа назад

ЦитироватьNASA TESS deployment

SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)

Опубликовано: 18 апр. 2018 г.

ЦитироватьLaunch Replays for SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket with TESS Planet Hunter

Space Videos (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdF5d0UwSJJunRcRVzP1uDg)

Опубликовано: 18 апр. 2018 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186259.jpg)John Kraus‏ @johnkrausphotos (https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/986753774357303296)

New tradition. Silly mission patch photo post-launch, post-patch retrieval
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162896.jpg)

ЦитироватьTESS Spacecraft Embarks on Planet-hunting Mission

Anna Heiney (https://blogs.nasa.gov/tess/author/aheiney/)
Posted Apr 18, 2018 at 9:01 pm

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/132130.jpg) (https://blogs.nasa.gov/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/281/2018/04/tess-launch.jpg)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA will have a new tool in the search for habitable planets.

The agency's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite was delivered to space this evening aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Launch occurred right on time at 6:51 p.m. EDT following an uneventful countdown highlighted by excellent weather and healthy hardware.

"Liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying TESS, a planet-hunting spacecraft that will search for new worlds beyond our solar system," NASA Launch Commentator Josh Finch said as the rocket thundered away from the launch complex.

TESS will be the first space-based, all-sky surveyor to search for exoplanets – planets outside of our own solar system. However, the spacecraft isn't looking for just any planets. It's specifically searching for those that are Earth-like, and close enough to our own celestial neighborhood that scientists can study them further.

Спойлер

"We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

How will it find these planets? Like the Kepler mission (http://www.nasa.gov/kepler) before it, TESS will use the transit method – that is, it will stare intently at the stars in a given section of the sky, watching for the telltale flicker of a passing (transiting) planet. (Learn more about TESS and the transit method on the TESS Overview (https://www.nasa.gov/content/about-tess).) Kepler, which launched in 2009, focused on one portion of the sky and sought to find Earth-like planets. TESS, on the other hand, will look for stars 30 to 100 times brighter than those observed by Kepler. It also will scan a far larger area.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/132131.jpg) (https://blogs.nasa.gov/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/281/2018/04/tess-sep.jpg)
In this view from a camera mounted on the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage, NASA's TESS spacecraft separates from the vehicle, beginning its mission. Image credit: NASA TV


But first, TESS had to get off the ground. After liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket performed well, sending the spacecraft on its way to orbit. At 7:53 p.m., the twin solar arrays that will power the spacecraft successfully deployed.

"Wow, are we excited. We just had a perfect countdown and perfect launch of the TESS mission," said Tim Dunn of NASA's Launch Services Program. "The Falcon 9 continues to demonstrate what a reliable vehicle it has become," Dunn said.

[свернуть]

Over the course of several weeks, TESS will use six thruster burns to travel in a series of progressively elongated orbits to reach the Moon, which will provide a gravitational assist so that TESS can transfer into its 13.7-day final science orbit around Earth. After approximately 60 days of check-out and instrument testing, the spacecraft will begin its work.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 12 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986778115371347968)

The TESS Falcon 9 second stage has completed its escape burn; it will enter an 0.82 x 1.0 AU x 0.3 deg solar orbit on Apr 27

Цитировать

Orbital ATK-Built Planet-Hunting Satellite Successfully Deployed for NASA

TESS Satellite to Search for Nearby Extra-Solar Planets on Multi-Year Mission

Company Delivers 31st Science Spacecraft for NASA's Research Programs

Dulles, Virginia 18 April 2018 – Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, announced that the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), built by the company for NASA, was successfully launched today aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. As the first-ever exoplanet satellite to perform a survey of the entire sky, TESS will identify planets ranging from Earth-sized to Jupiter-sized, orbiting a wide range of stellar types and in various orbital regimes. The principal goal of the TESS mission is to use four wide-field cameras to detect small planets around bright host stars in the solar neighborhood so that detailed characterizations of the planets and their atmospheres can be performed.

Спойлер

Liftoff occurred at 6:51 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The satellite separated successfully from the launch vehicle 49 minutes into the mission. Orbital ATK completed the satellite's post-launch health checks and configuration activities in preparation for a series of in-space maneuvers, including a lunar gravitational assist, to reach its targeted highly-elliptical orbit. Once in-orbit testing has been completed, TESS will begin its initial two-year mission approximately 60 days after launch.

"The data from our first tests show TESS is in good health and performing as expected early in its mission," said Steve Krein, Vice President of Science and Environmental Satellite Programs at Orbital ATK. "TESS adds to our growing list of successful scientific space missions that have helped us study the Earth and Sun, explore the solar system, and probe the mysteries of the universe. This successful launch marks the 31st science spacecraft we have developed and built for NASA over the last 35 years, and continues to demonstrate Orbital ATK's expertise in delivering the high-quality satellites our customers expect."

Orbital ATK has a rich history of designing and manufacturing small space science satellites. From a small, low-cost astrophysics mission like GALEX, used to explore the origin and evolution of galaxies and stars, to Earth-imaging satellites such as the Landsat series, which have been monitoring surface changes for over 45 years, to the Dawn spacecraft, the first deep-space mission to orbit two interplanetary bodies in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the company's robust spacecraft platforms and comprehensive engineering know-how have enabled many of these satellites to far exceed their design lifetimes.

TESS was built at Orbital ATK's Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Dulles, Virginia and is based on the company's LEOStar-2™ bus, a flight-proven and flexible satellite platform that accommodates a wide variety of missions. Continuing the company's legacy for delivering high-performance science and environmental spacecraft, several similar satellites are now in production for upcoming NASA missions that include the ICON heliophysics explorer, also built on a LEOStar-2 platform, as well as the Earth science ICESAT-2 and Landsat-9 satellites and the JPSS-2 weather spacecraft which use the larger LEOStar-3™ bus.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and managed by the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

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ЦитироватьLiftoff of TESS

NASAKennedy (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjJtr2fFcUp6yljzJOzpHUg)

Опубликовано: 18 апр. 2018 г.

ЦитироватьInterview with NASA's Tim Dunn

NASAKennedy (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjJtr2fFcUp6yljzJOzpHUg)

Опубликовано: 18 апр. 2018 г.

Following the successful liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket and deployment of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, Tim Dunn of the agency's Launch Services Program speaks with Josh Finch of NASA Communications. Tess is the next step in the search for planets, also known as "exoplanets," located outside of the solar system and orbiting other nearby, bright stars.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 12 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986786010079088640)

TESS is 35900 km high, passing through the GEO belt. It's near the equator too, I'll have to calc its nearest approach to a GEO sat

20 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/986788948721786880)

Looks like TESS passed 2900 km from Luch-5A. Decent safety margin!

ЦитироватьFalcon 9 Lifts TESS Exoplanet Hunter to Survey Earth's Cosmic Neighborhood for Habitable Worlds
 April 19, 2018 (http://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-launches-tess-planet-hunter/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153870.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tessvab-spacex.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX

NASA's search for Earth-like planets around other stars took one major step forward Wednesday night when the agency's TESS exoplanet hunter received a smooth ride into a high-energy transfer orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 – setting out on two months of orbit trimming and a lunar flyby before beginning the first-ever all-sky survey looking for planets in Earth's cosmic neighborhood.

Спойлер

Packed into a compact spacecraft weighing only 362 Kilograms, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite – TESS for short – will discover and catalog in excess of 10,000 new planets circling stars that are astronomically close to Earth to allow for follow-up characterization of their structure and atmospheric make-up in the continued search for planet's other than our own where life could theoretically be possible.

Sending TESS on its way toward a never-before-used Lunar Resonant Orbit fell to SpaceX's final new Block 4 Falcon 9 rocket, certified by NASA this January to handle a priority delivery such as TESS. Falcon 9 fired off fr om Cape Canaveral at 22:51 UTC on Wednesday, 6:51 p.m. local, under the power of its nine Merlin 1D engines that pushed rocket away fr om the Space Coast straight to the East.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153861.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tesslaunch13.jpg)
TESS Separation – Photo: NASA TV

Accelerating beyond the speed of sound one minute after launch, Falcon 9 kept firing its booster for the first 149 seconds of the flight before the MVac-powered second stage took over for a two-burn mission. Stage 1 – a viable candidate for a future Dragon mission for NASA – flew a sub-orbital arc, re-fired a subset of its engines to hit the brakes and successfully landed atop SpaceX's Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship under the power of its center engine to be towed back to Cape Canaveral for re-flight as soon as this summer.

Tasked with the high-speed delivery of TESS, Falcon's second stage dropped the protective payload fairing and kept firing for five and a half minutes to lift the lightweight spacecraft into a preliminary Parking Orbit. The stack crossed the Atlantic Ocean & Africa before Stage 2 fired up again over Indian Ocean, hitting a peak speed of 37,500 Kilometers per hour when shutting down its engine after a 53-second burn. Loaded springs pushed the TESS spacecraft on its way 49 and a half minutes after liftoff and NASA confirmed its newest planet hunter was behaving well as it deployed its power-generating solar arrays and stabilized its orientation in space.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153881.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/TESS_with_techs_high_res.jpg)
The fully-assembled TESS Observatory with its four star cameras still covered up – Photo: Orbital ATK

Getting TESS to where it needs to be is all but a trivial endeavor and Wednesday's launch only marked the start of a complex two-month up-and-down orbit ballet for the 1.5-meter tall spacecraft. All will depend on getting the timing right as TESS aims to thread the needle on May 17 for a critical lunar gravity assist that will pull the craft one large step closer to its operational orbit.

Falcon 9 only had a thirty second window to send TESS on its way – already timed to meet the lunar flyby, and the spacecraft will conduct a major boost when coming close to Earth again in six days to lift the high-point of its egg-shaped orbit to match the Moon's orbital distance. The next two orbits will be filled with correction maneuvers to refine the flyby path and another large maneuver comes after the Flyby to put TESS into a lunar resonant orbit of 108,400 by 376,300 Kilometers wh ere it circles the Earth twice for every orbit the Moon makes.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153883.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/04/41394159782_3144c3677a_k.jpg)
TESS in Launch Configuration – Photo: NASA Kennedy

If all goes well, TESS will achieve its final science orbit 57 days after launch – a specialized orbit that has not yet been used by a satellite to date. (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/tess-orbit-design/) It was chosen for TESS because it offers a very quiet observation environment enabling the craft's four-camera instrument to stare at a sector of the sky uninterrupted for two weeks straight – logging the brightness of thousands of target stars to identify temporary dimming of stars as a tell-tale sign of a passing planet.

TESS will keep staring at the same slice of the sky for 27 days before stepping eastward to the next sector – covering the southern hemisphere in the first and the northern hemisphere in the second year of its mission to capture data across 85% of the sky. According to the latest statistical assessments, TESS will find close to 5,000 planets around stars in our neighborhood of the Milky Way including around 250 planets in the Earth-sized and Super-Earth categories. Another 10,000 or more planetary candidates are expected to be found around fainter stars.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153866.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tess_observingsectorschematic_Winnpresentation3.jpg)
TESS Observation Strategy – Images: TESS Project

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153874.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/DKkP8wIWsAATLb_.jpg)
Image: NASA

TESS builds upon the legacy of NASA's Kepler mission that launched in 2009 and so far has found 2,652 exoplanets, plus some 2,700 candidates still waiting for verification. But unlike Kepler which only monitors a small sliver of the sky and watches for planets around distant stars, TESS is optimized to cover a large piece of the sky and single-out which of our nearest stellar neighbors are host to planets. The hope is to identify a number of close planets that can be studied with Earth- and space-based telescopes to look at their structure and atmospheric composition to provide a conclusive assessment of their habitability.

The TESS instrument is optimized to detect planets around stars 30 to 100 times brighter than those studied by Kepler with the primary goal of identifying planets orbiting in the habitable zones around their host stars wh ere water can exist in its liquid form – a key requirement for life as we know it on Earth.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153857.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/414829main_3_transit_light_curves1.jpg)
Actual Exoplanet Light Curves measured by the Kepler Mission – Image: NASA

Prime candidates from the exoplanet catalog created by TESS will undergo further scrutiny by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope aiming for launch in 2020; one of its primary objectives being the unprecedented characterization of exoplanets and their atmospheres.

Built by Orbital ATK and fitted with four science cameras from MIT, TESS can cover a 24 by 96-degree sector of the sky at any given time – an area 400 times larger than Kepler's field of view. Each of the four cameras comprises a seven-lens optical assembly, a spectral filter optimized for the near-infrared band of Red Dwarf stars and a 16.8-megapixel detector assembly with high sensitivity.

>> TESS Instrument Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/tess-instrument/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153868.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tessoptical1.jpg)
TESS Detectors and Optics – Photos: MIT/TESS Project

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153869.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tess_spacecraft_cameras.jpg)
TESS Instrument Deck – Image: NASA Goddard

By means of powerful onboard processing, TESS will be able to collect up to 15,000 "postage-stamp" images of target stars in each sector. Postage stamps will be collected with an image exposure of two minutes while full-sky images are collected every half hour. TESS will store the data it collects on board and send one burst of stored data once every two weeks when its orbit takes it sufficiently close to Earth to permit high data rates through NASA's Deep Space Network.

Getting the nod to lift TESS was a big deal for SpaceX as it represented the first medium-risk NASA science payload entrusted to the company and also marked the first time a dedicated NASA science mission was riding on Falcon 9 after two earlier deliveries – DSCOVR & Jason-3 – were for agency consortiums of which NASA represented only one part. Launching TESS required a Category 2 certification awarded by NASA's Launch Services Program to the Falcon 9 rocket in January and the TESS launch contract specified SpaceX to use a new Block 4 vehicle.

>> Falcon 9 Launch Vehicle Overview (http://spaceflight101.com/spacerockets/falcon-9-ft/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153858.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/41499784332_5a08dfcf7f_o.jpg)
Photo: NASA

Wednesday's launch was the 53rd mission of a Falcon 9 vehicle, the 33rd for the Falcon 9 Full Thrust family and the seventh Falcon 9 of 2018 as SpaceX keeps up a high pace of launches to surpass its 2017 record of 18 successful missions. Out of seven missions performed this year so far, four Falcon 9 rockets have flown with previously used first stages.

Wednesday's launch came two days after an initial launch attempt for TESS was halted before the countdown progressed inside T-3 hours. SpaceX said additional GNC (Guidance, Navigation and Control) analysis was necessary and, as a result, pushed the launch by two days. It is understood that additional modeling of the second stage's flight profile was part of open items discussed toward Monday's T-0.

Falcon 9 was lowered to a horizontal position after Monday's attempt was abandoned and was back in its vertical position by Wednesday morning after all open items had been resolved, according to a status upd ate given to all involved parties.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153867.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tessonpad2.jpeg)
Photo: SpaceX

Towering 70 meters over its Atlantic-side launch pad, Falcon 9 was cleared to head into another countdown, starting with a detailed set of checkouts while teams buttoned up the launch vehicle and SLC-40 launch pad.

Launch Controllers in two control rooms at the Cape were able to award Falcon 9 a clean bill of health after a multi-hour checkout campaign and weather was also cooperating for Wednesday's near-instantaneous launch slot – allowing computers to be handed control for the 70-minute automated countdown sequence encompassing the fast-paced tanking operation and a last set of reconfigurations on the two-stage rocket.

The process of loading over 500 metric tons of sub-cooled Liquid Oxygen and chilled Rocket Propellant 1 into Falcon 9 ended just two minutes before launch when the vehicle had already switched to battery power, armed its autonomous safety system, and conditioned the nine Merlin 1D engines for ignition. Tanks pressurized to flight level after the Launch Director voiced a final GO at T-45 seconds and Falcon 9 soared to life at T-3 seconds, ramping up to a launch thrust of nearly 700 metric ton-force.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153862.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tesslaunch3.jpg)
Photo: NASA TV

Falcon 9 lifted off at precisely 22:51:31 UTC, the opening of a 30-second window constrained by TESS' tight timing requirements to intercept its lunar flyby window one month after taking flight. Balancing vertically for the first 15 seconds, Falcon 9 then swung on its planned departure to the East in order to begin its high-energy delivery.

Consuming nearly 2,500 Kilograms of propellant per second, Falcon 9 pushed through the sound barrier at T+64 seconds and stepped off the gas while going through the area of Maximum Dynamic Pressure one minute and 16 seconds into the mission. The first stage then throttled back up and fired until T+2 minutes and 29 seconds, accelerating the vehicle to a speed of 1.95 Kilometers per second.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153863.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tesslaunch6.jpg)
Photo: NASA TV

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153859.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tesslaunch10.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

Stage separation – accomplished with four pneumatic pushers – sent the two Falcon 9 stages into different directions at an altitude of 75 Kilometers. While the first stage was to remain on a sub-orbital arc, the second stage fired up its 95,000-Kilogram-force MVac engine two minutes and 39 seconds after launch to lift TESS into orbit.

Wednesday's launch was the first SpaceX booster recovery mission since Falcon Heavy's debut in early February. Four Falcon 9 missions since then discarded their first stages in the ocean after flight testing maneuvers – three were by choice as SpaceX cleared out its inventory before the arrival of Block 5 while one was by necessity due to rough seas in the recovery area.

Separating from the second stage after flying a very lofted trajectory, the first stage made a quick U-turn to point its engine section toward the direction of travel for a 19-second, three-engine boostback maneuver, starting two minutes and 45 seconds after launch while the booster was still mid turn. This partial boostback controlled the downrange travel distance toward the OCISLY Drone Ship  – essentially moving recovery closer to shore to shorten the travel time for the Drone Ship.

Speeding back toward Earth, Booster 1045 re-started three of its engines for a 21-second Entry Burn six minutes and 29 seconds after launch. Having hit the brakes, the 47-meter long booster reversed through the sound barrier and employed its four actuated grid fins while descending through the atmosphere to steer toward the coordinates of the OCISLY Drone Ship, holding position 300 Kilometers from the SLC-40 launch pad.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153864.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tesslaunch8.jpg)
Stage 1 in final approach for landing – Photo: SpaceX Webcast

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153865.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tesslaunch9.jpg)
Photo: SpaceX Webcast

The booster fired up its center engine at T+7 minutes and 50 seconds for the landing burn, designed to arrest its vertical velocity at the moment it made contact with the Drone Ship. Four fold-out landing legs deployed in the final seconds of the rocket-powered descent and Booster 1045 made a bullseye touchdown on its floating landing pad after a round trip time of eight minutes and 21 seconds – bringing SpaceX's total to 24 successful booster landings split evenly between land- and sea-based recoveries.

Provided all goes well with Booster 1045's return to Port Canaveral in the next few days, it is a good candidate for quick refurbishment toward re-flight as early as late June on the next Dragon mission headed to the International Space Station.

While the first stage was going through the motions of its return, the MVac powered second stage initially continued a steep climb – dropping the 13-meter long payload fairing three minutes and one second into the flight when passing 105 Kilometers in altitude. SpaceX planned to put Fairing 2.0 through an experimental return toward a mock landing target in the Atlantic Ocean in order to continue working on the precision of the landing recovery sequence by means of thrusters and auto-steering parachutes that will ultimately guide the fairing halves into nets deployed via sea-going vessels.

Carrying its lightest payload to date, the second stage then leveled off to build speed until reaching a 250-Kilometer parking orbit, shutting down eight minutes and 20 seconds into the flight after a short burn of five minutes and 41 seconds.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153860.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tesslaunch11.jpg)
Photo: NASA TV

Next was a lengthy coast phase of 35 minutes to allow the second stage to continue flying east across the Atlantic Ocean and cross over Africa to reach the correct position for its second burn in order to appropriately position the apogee location of the resulting orbit. Re-start was confirmed at T+43 minutes and 10 seconds and the second stage was programmed to fire for around 53 seconds until reaching a planned Supersynchronous Orbit of 248 by 270,461 Kilometers, inclined 29.6 degrees.

SpaceX launch controllers reported a good orbit was achieved and TESS sailed off at T+49 minutes, setting sail on two months of orbital trimming and instrument checkouts before its sky surveying mission can begin. A good deployment of the spacecraft's two power-generating solar arrays was confirmed by NASA, indicating TESS was behaving as planned after being se t free from the Falcon 9.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/153878.jpg) (http://spaceflight101.com/tess/wp-content/uploads/sites/215/2018/03/tess_orbit.jpg)
TESS Phasing Loop Design – Image: TESS Project

The mission's next milestone, after undergoing initial systems activation, will be when reaching the peak of its elliptical orbit when a brief burn of its 22-Newton main engine will slightly lift the orbit's perigee to ensure its stays well clear of the atmosphere. This will also act as a calibration firing for the thruster before the mission's first big burn on the first perigee passage, designed to lift the orbit's apogee to match lunar distance to get ready for the critical lunar intercept after another two and a half orbits.

Although TESS will capture a treasure trove of data via its two-year primary mission, the spacecraft has been designed to last up to 20 years and the specialized orbit has also been simulated to be sufficiently stable for that period of time. However-long TESS may last, its scientific legacy is likely one for the ages as the exoplanets it'll discover will be prime observation candidates for decades, if not centuries to come.

For the Falcon 9 second stage, the day was not done at TESS separation as SpaceX planned to dispose the upper stage into a heliocentric orbit by firing its engine a third time to escape Earth's gravitational influence.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьЧебурашка пишет:
Фалькон-9 мог закинуть TESS сразу на финальную орбиту без всяких манёвров у Луны..

ЦитироватьInitial GTO orbit: 250.00 x 108000.00 x 28.00
  speed at perigee: 10668.461 m/s
  speed at apogee: 617.603 m/s
  revs/day: 0.583
  days/rev: 1.714
  rev time: 41h08m

ЦитироватьДимитър пишет:
" калькулятор "
Аполо13, как это работает? Попробовал, не получается...

ЦитироватьApril 19, 2018
RELEASE 18-026

NASA Planet Hunter on Its Way to Orbit

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208214.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/40837911204_20f2172930_o1.jpg)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Liftoff was at 6:51 p.m. EDT. TESS will search for planets outside of our solar system. The mission will find exoplanets that periodically block part of the light from their host stars, events called transits. The satellite will survey the nearest and brightest stars for two years to search for transiting exoplanets.
Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched on the first-of-its-kind mission to find worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life.

TESS, which is expected to find thousands of new exoplanets orbiting nearby stars, lifted off at 6:51 p.m. EDT Wednesday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. At 7:53 p.m., the twin solar arrays that will power the spacecraft successfully deployed.

Спойлер

"We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "With missions like the James Webb Space Telescope to help us study the details of these planets, we are ever the closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208684.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/spacex_tess_launch_co.jpg)
NASA's next planet-hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), successfully launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on April 18, 2018. TESS will search for new worlds outside our solar system for further study.
Credits: NASA Television

Over the course of several weeks, TESS will use six thruster burns to travel in a series of progressively elongated orbits to reach the Moon, which will provide a gravitational assist so that TESS can transfer into its 13.7-day final science orbit around Earth. After approximately 60 days of check-out and instrument testing, the spacecraft will begin its work.

"One critical piece for the science return of TESS is the high data rate associated with its orbit," said George Ricker, TESS principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research in Cambridge. "Each time the spacecraft passes close to Earth, it will transmit full-frame images taken with the cameras. That's one of the unique things TESS brings that was not possible before."

For this two-year survey mission, scientists divided the sky into 26 sectors. TESS will use four unique wide-field cameras to map 13 sectors encompassing the southern sky during its first year of observations and 13 sectors of the northern sky during the second year, altogether covering 85 percent of the sky.

TESS will be watching for phenomena called transits (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/transiting-exoplanet-with-brightness-graph-anim.gif). A transit occurs when a planet passes in front of its star from the observer's perspective, causing a periodic and regular dip in the star's brightness. More than 78 percent of the approximately 3,700 confirmed exoplanets have been found using transits.

NASA's Kepler (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/main/index.html) spacecraft found more than 2,600 exoplanets, most orbiting faint stars between 300 and 3,000 light-years from Earth, using this same method of watching for transits. TESS will focus on stars between 30 and 300 light-years away and 30 to 100 times brighter than Kepler's targets.

The brightness of these target stars will allow researchers to use spectroscopy (https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/hera/spectroscopy/what_is_spectroscopy.html), the study of the absorption and emission of light, to determine a planet's mass, density and atmospheric composition. Water, and other key molecules, in its atmosphere can give us hints about a planets' capacity to harbor life.

"The targets TESS finds are going to be fantastic subjects for research for decades to come," said Stephen Rinehart, TESS project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's the beginning of a new era of exoplanet research."

Through the TESS Guest Investigator Program (https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/tess/proposing-investigations.html), the worldwide scientific community will be able to conduct research beyond TESS's core mission in areas ranging from exoplanet characterization to stellar astrophysics, distant galaxies and solar system science.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer (https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/programs/astrophysics-explorers) mission led and operated by MIT and managed by Goddard. George Ricker, of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, serves as principal investigator for the mission. TESS's four wide-field cameras were developed by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, NASA's Ames Research Center, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants (https://tess.gsfc.nasa.gov/meettheteam.html) in the mission.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 7 ч.

Over the course of the next several weeks, [url=https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS]@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/986921649260941312) will conduct a series of burns (6 of them) to reach its final science orbit. This will include a lunar fly-by on 17 May 2018 at 06:31:52.180 UTC. The lunar fly-by distance will be at approximately 8000 km (altitude).

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/69029.jpg)SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/986967934617530369)

More photos from yesterday's Falcon 9 launch of @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)

 → http://flickr.com/spacex  (https://t.co/095WHX44BX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162959.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162960.jpg)

ЦитироватьAll-sky surveyor launched fr om Cape Canaveral on the hunt for exoplanets
April 19, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144399.jpg)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT) with NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Credit: Walter Scriptunas II/Spaceflight Now

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, built to find planets around other stars that are close enough for detailed follow-ups by future telescopes, launched Wednesday into a unique high-altitude orbit on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fr om Cape Canaveral.

The $337 million mission is the latest in a line of space-based observatories designed for exoplanet research, building on discoveries made by NASA's Kepler telescope and laying the foundation for missions set for launch over the next decade.

TESS lifted off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad at 6:51:31 p.m. EDT (2251:31 GMT) Wednesday, heading for an arcing elliptical orbit that will take the spacecraft more than two-thirds the distance to the moon.

Спойлер

The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket thundered into a clear evening sky over Florida's Space Coast with 1.7 million pounds of thrust, departing to the east over the Atlantic Ocean, wh ere the launcher's first stage descended to a SpaceX landing platform parked a few hundred miles east of Cape Canaveral.

While the first stage made its away back to Earth for refurbishment and reuse — potentially in late June on SpaceX's next space station resupply flight — the Falcon 9's second stage engine drove the 798-pound (362-kilogram) TESS spacecraft into a transfer orbit that was targeted to range from a low point of 154 miles (248 kilometers) as far as 168,000 miles (270,000 kilometers) from Earth at its highest point.

SpaceX and NASA officials said the Falcon 9 rocket achieved an on-target orbit before deploying TESS less than 50 minutes after liftoff, while the spacecraft soared over the Indian Ocean west of Australia.

A few minutes later, engineers confirmed TESS extended its power-generating solar panels to a span of 12.8 feet (3.9 meters) tip-to-tip. The satellite started charging its batteries as designed, while ground controllers at Orbital ATK, which built the TESS spacecraft, ran it through a post-launch health check.

Officials said TESS was performing as expected late Wednesday evening.

"We are thrilled TESS is on its way to help us discover worlds we have yet to imagine, worlds that could possibly be habitable, or harbor life," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's science mission directorate in Washington. "With missions like the James Webb Space Telescope to help us study the details of these planets, we are ever the closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144284.jpg)
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral's Complex 40 launch pad with NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Credit: SpaceX

After a five-day checkout of the spacecraft, ground controllers will kick off procedures to switch on TESS's cameras, with "first light" from the observatory expected next week.

TESS will scan around 85 percent of the sky during its two-year mission, and astronomers predict the mission could detect as many as 20,000 undiscovered planets lurking around stars in our solar neighborhood.

Carrying four 16.8-megapixel cameras, TESS will look for dips in light coming from some 200,000 relatively bright, pre-selected nearby stars. The periodic blots, if found to occur in a repeating pattern, are a tell-tale sign of a planet transiting between its host star and the telescope.

The craft's four imaging cameras each cover a square in the sky that measures 24 by 24 degrees, wide enough to fit the constellation Orion into the field of view of a single camera. The cameras together will simultaneously survey a 24-degree by 96-degree strip of the sky for 27 days, then move on to stare at another sector of the sky.

TESS will search for exoplanets from a unique orbit in a 2:1 resonance with the moon, following a loop that takes it as close as 67,000 miles (108,000 kilometers) from Earth, and farther than the moon at its most distant point.

Such an orbit has three key advantages: It's stable, using lunar gravity to maintain its shape without the need for maneuvers; It passes close enough to Earth to transmit full frame images through a high-speed Ka-band downlink; It keeps TESS away from the damaging effects of the Van Allen radiation belts.

"The orbit takes 13.7 days to go around once, so we do actually two orbits for every lunar orbit," said Padi Boyd, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center who serves as TESS's deputy project scientist. "It swings out very far past the moon at its farthest point, then when it comes back in towards the Earth it's going very quickly and that's when it dumps the data.

"So we're only going to get one data dump every 13.7 days, and then it takes a tremendous software effort to analyze those images and look for these transit signals," Boyd told CBS News in an interview.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144382.jpg)
An illustration of the phasing orbits to be employed by TESS on the way to its final science orbit, labeled P/2 in this image. Credit: NASA

With the stability of the mission's final science orbit, TESS has enough fuel to keep up its exoplanet hunt for as long as 20 or 30 years, assuming NASA funding and spacecraft components remain robust.

Reaching TESS's unique observing orbit, known as a P/2 orbit, requires time and finesse.

The compact spacecraft's on-board propulsion system will raise TESS's orbit in the coming weeks to set up for a flyby of the moon May 17.

TESS will slingshot by the moon at a distance of around 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers), using gravity to reshape its orbit, increasing the satellite's orbital perigee, or low point, to the final planned altitude of around 67,000 miles. After the lunar flyby, the high point of the satellite's elongated orbit will stretch well beyond the moon, and another thruster firing will nudge TESS into its final science orbit in mid-June.

The collection of science data is scheduled to begin in July, with the first year of TESS's two-year campaign aimed at stars in the southern sky. In 2019, TESS will start looking at stars in the northern sky.

George Ricker, who leads the TESS science team at MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, said the exoplanet surveyor is a "finder scope" for the Webb telescope and huge ground-based observatories.

TESS will primarily look at M-dwarf stars, which are smaller and cooler than the sun, and make up the majority of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Also called red dwarfs, the stars that are TESS's focus have not been thoroughly investigated to determine whether they harbor their own solar systems.

The observatory's wide-angle cameras are only about 4 inches (10 centimeters) in size, giving TESS a tiny fraction of the light-collecting power of a telescope like Webb, which is scheduled for launch in 2020 with a 21.3-foot (6.5-meter) primary mirror.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144385.jpg)
A view of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite before launch. The observatory's four cameras are located at the top of the spacecraft. Credit: NASA

The planets found by TESS will be prime candidates for further study by JWST because they will be relatively nearby. The bulk of the more than 2,600 planets discovered by Kepler are located between 300 and 3,000 light-years away — too far for composition measurements with current technology — while TESS will look at stars 10 times closer and 100 times brighter.

In addition, Kepler has only pointed at certain parts of the sky, while TESS will take a broader look.

"You can go out on a dark night, and you can see 6,000 stars or so in the sky with your naked eye," Ricker said. "We're going to look at every single one of those stars."

Approximately 20 million stars will be visible by TESS's light-sensitive cameras, including targets up to a million times fainter than observable with the naked eye, Ricker said. Around 200,000 of those stars are "pre-selected" by the TESS science team for special emphasis because of their proximity and brightness.

The TESS observatory will "build upon the legacy of the Kepler mission, only it is going to focus on nearby bright stars that are sprinkled across the whole sky, and it's going to help us answer a really important question: Which of our nearest stellar neighbors have planets?" said Elisa Quintana, an astrophysicist and TESS mission support scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Each of TESS's cameras house four custom-built red-sensitive CCD detectors designed and developed by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory.

"I think it's fair to say that the CCDs that TESS is flying are the most perfect CCDs that have ever been flown on any science mission, NASA or otherwise," Ricker said.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144380.jpg)
Artist's concept of the field-of-view from TESS's four cameras, which will scan the sky in slices as illustrated in this image. Credit: NASA

"TESS is a survey machine, and it's going to find the very best planets for us to follow-up, and among that category are these small rocky planets, transiting small red dwarf stars," said Sara Seager, deputy science director on the TESS mission at MIT.

Data from TESS will tell astronomers the size of each planet. With that information, they can use other techniques like radial velocity measurements to determine each planet's mass and density.

"Measuring masses is a really big deal because the planet mass is really definitive," Seager said in an interview with Spaceflight Now. "Is it a rocky planet like Earth with a thin atmosphere? Is it a giant planet like Jupiter or Neptune that has a huge gas envelope?"

Ricker said he expects TESS to find between 500 and 1,000 planets that are between one and three times the size of Earth. Up to 20,000 planets the size of Neptune or Jupiter could be discovered by TESS, he said.

That would grow the number of known planets beyond our solar system by factor of five or more, but it's not all about expanding the exoplanet catalog.

"The focus that TESS has on finding systems associated with bright stars means that they will be much easier to follow-up," Ricker said in an interview with Spaceflight Now. "Once you find that a transiting system exists, it's something that you'll want to come back to and study more and more as improved instruments, satellites and telescopes become available because this is going to be the benchmark for future research."

That's wh ere the James Webb Space Telescope becomes a crucial tool for astronomers seeking to learn more about the nature of faraway exoplanets. JWST will be able to probe the atmospheres of some of these worlds, learning about their chemical make-up and searching for evidence that the planets might be habitable.

Once launched, the huge, expandable observatory "will be able to look for characteristic signatures of materials in the atmospheres of those planets ... and something that's potentially a biogenic signature," Ricker told Spaceflight Now. "Of course, that takes a lot of care and a lot of work. TESS can only point the way to these are the best targets that you should be focusing on with Webb."

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186259.jpg)John Kraus‏ @johnkrausphotos (https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos) 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/986958030066593792)

Falcon 9's Merlin 1D engines lift it and #NASA (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash)'s #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) from SLC-40 yesterday evening. What an incredible display of power! @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162950.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 39 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/987078792584757255)

TESS is now 171000 km above the Earth as it continues to coast towards apogee. There are very few satellites this far out.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg)Stephen Clark‏ @StephenClark1 (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1) 22 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/987047303944032257)

For those who value precision: Official launch time for TESS yesterday was 6:51:30.196 pm EDT. Info previously provided to us by NASA and SpaceX media reps had the launch time a second later.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186323.jpg)Cowboy Dan‏ @CowboyDanPaasch (https://twitter.com/CowboyDanPaasch) 20 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/CowboyDanPaasch/status/987397792506302465)

#SpaceXNerds (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceXNerds?src=hash): Two days to shore the fresh load up on OCISLY. Making better time, now, after another stop since. Payload fairing chaser, Go Pursuit, leaps in front of the pack. #SpaceXArmada (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceXArmada?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163069.jpg)

ЦитироватьTESS | Landing

SpaceX (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtI0Hodo5o5dUb67FeUjDeA)

Опубликовано: 20 апр. 2018 г.

First Stage Landing on Drone Ship 'Of Course I Still Love You'

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 22 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/987451515467157506)

TESS now passing 245,000 km altitude as Kepler's Second Law slows it down on the crawl to apogee, which it will reach in just over another day

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186402.jpg)Julia‏ @julia_bergeron (https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/987589035102298113)

That, my friends, appears to be a complete half fairing on board GO Pursuit. Quick grab off my preview screen. Some of the Falcon 9 has arrived at Port Canaveral #SpaceXFleet (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceXFleet?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163117.jpg)

2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/987610215884484613)

GO Pursuit, with what appears to be a complete fairing half on deck, arrived into Port Canaveral approx. 3:15 am EDT this morning. In a few short hours we should be seeing OCISILY being led in by Hawk and GO Quest after cruise ships are safely docked. #SpaceXFleet (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceXFleet?src=hash) @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163120.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/987564665411600384)

TESS now at 258000 km above Earth's surface. The Falcon 9 second stage is much more distant already, at 488000 km, beyond lunar orbit.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186306.jpg)Marek Cyzio‏ @MarekCyzio (https://twitter.com/MarekCyzio) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/MarekCyzio/status/987652390143881217)

Looks like it #Tess (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tess?src=hash) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163136.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186304.jpg)Marcus Cote‏ @marcuscotephoto (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto) 19 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto/status/987716796651327488)

#Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) and #OCISLY (https://twitter.com/hashtag/OCISLY?src=hash) getting closer to Port Canaveral. Appears to be roughly 25-40 minutes out. @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) @elonmusk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk) #SpaceX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163162.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186304.jpg)Marcus Cote‏ @marcuscotephoto (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto/status/987723451271208960)

~5-10 minutes out #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash) #ocisly (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ocisly?src=hash) #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163171.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186304.jpg)Marcus Cote‏ @marcuscotephoto (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto/status/987726674019147779)

#falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash) moments away from entering port #ocisly (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ocisly?src=hash) #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163140.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186304.jpg)Marcus Cote‏ @marcuscotephoto (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto/status/987729316413833218)

#spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash) #ocisly (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ocisly?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163143.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186304.jpg)Marcus Cote‏ @marcuscotephoto (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/marcuscotephoto/status/987733574626480128)

Nearing docking point. #falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/falcon9?src=hash) #spacex (https://twitter.com/hashtag/spacex?src=hash) #ocisly (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ocisly?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163149.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/32560.jpg)We Report Space‏ @WeReportSpace (https://twitter.com/WeReportSpace) 7 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/WeReportSpace/status/987734054534598656)

The @spacex (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) first stage, previously seen launching #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) on Wednesday evening, has returned to Port Canaveral. Photo credit: Mary Ellen Jelen / We Report Space.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163152.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163151.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185874.jpg)Michael Baylor‏ @nextspaceflight (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/987737261587525632)

OCISLY is pulling up to the SpaceX dock. This starts a race against time for the recovery crews. B1045 is currently scheduled to be flown again in just over two months during the CRS-15 mission. This would be the fastest turnaround of a #Falcon9 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcon9?src=hash) first stage booster.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 38 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/987739146092449792)

Close up of OctaGrabber, via @ThAerospaceGeek (https://twitter.com/ThAerospaceGeek)'s photo. This robot aids stability, avoids crews having to wait to get onboard to chain (and weld) the booster to the deck. Helps turnaround and safety. Typical "SpaceXer at a meeting" solution: "I know, how about a robot!?" (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125484.png)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125382.png)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163156.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/988146812908261376)

The @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) first apogee maneuver (A1M) was successfully completed yesterday. This burn was a 50 second checkout burn to characterize the performance of the #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) thrusters.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/988162946151993345)

I think by "yesterday" @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) mean to say 0145 UTC this morning (which was yesterday in US EDT). At least, that was the originally scheduled time

Цитировать2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/988163726007259136)

Oops I confused the engine burn time with the time of apogee. TESS first apogee was at 0235 UTC Apr 22, not 0145 UTC. Apogee height was 272166 km

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 13 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/988158980252995584)

TESS reached first apogee at 0145 UTC this morning and is now falling back towards Earth (don't worry, it will miss). Perigee at 0542 UTC Apr 25 at 2232 km altitude, SW of Baja

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/988163726007259136)

Oops I confused the engine burn time with the time of apogee. TESS first apogee was at 0235 UTC Apr 22, not 0145 UTC. Apogee height was 272166 km

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/988129786194210816)

The first stage booster from @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)'s @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX) launch, B1045, is back in port aboard the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. This is the 24th successful Falcon booster recovery from SpaceX.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162831.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/988139849331994624)

The @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) systems engineer described the @NASA_TDRS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TDRS) "initial acquisition of #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) was a thing of beauty." After TDRS acquired TESS, handover to Deep Space Network was completed for the duration of TESS operations. Thanks @NASASCaN (https://twitter.com/NASASCaN) for the support!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 32 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/988157793898201089)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) current speed (at about 22 Apr 2018 15:46 UTC / 11:46 AM EST) was approximately 0.373 km/s. It will be increasing until #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) reaches perigee at about 25 Apr 2018 05:42 UTC / 1:42 PM at which point it will be approximately 9.51 km/s.

ЦитироватьAfter "terrific" launch, TESS nears first major orbit-raising burn
April 23, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144332.jpg)
Artist's concept of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite in orbit. Credit: Orbital ATK

NASA's new planet-hunting TESS observatory completed its first post-launch thruster firing Saturday, setting up for a big boost Wednesday that will send the spacecraft toward the moon for a flyby next month, the next maneuvers in a two-month process to reach the mission's final science orbit in mid-June.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite fired its thrusters Saturday as it reached apogee, the most distant point in its looping elliptical orbit around Earth, nearly 170,000 miles (around 272,000 kilometers) in altitude.

Спойлер

The rocket burn was planned as a checkout of TESS's hydrazine-fueled propulsion system, and only nudged the satellite's perigee, or orbital low point, slightly higher than the spacecraft's initial perigee less than 200 miles (about 300 kilometers) above Earth.

TESS launched Wednesday atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fr om Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9's upper stage accomplished two engine firings before deploying the 798-pound (362-kilogram) observatory around 50 minutes after liftoff.

The launch placed TESS into a preliminary oval-shaped transfer orbit. The satellite will carefully maneuver into its operational perch over the next two months, with the first major step planned for early Wednesday, when TESS swings back near Earth at its first perigee since launch, according to Robert Lockwood, TESS program manager at Orbital ATK, which built and operates the spacecraft for NASA.

Five thrusters mounted at the base of the TESS spacecraft are used for major orbital adjustments, while four spinning reaction wheels inside the satellite keep it properly pointed.

The first of three planned "perigee burns" Wednesday will do most of the lifting to place TESS on a trajectory to encounter the moon May 17, passing by at a distance of roughly 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) and using lunar gravity to drastically reshape its orbit around Earth.

Lockwood said in an interview Thursday that the two additional perigee burns planned at the end of TESS's second and third orbits for fine-tuning, or if the first maneuver is not accomplished as planned.

Since TESS's launch last week, ground controllers at Orbital ATK's headquarters in Dulles, Virginia, have completed communications system tests, computer checkouts and other procedures to ensure the spacecraft is healthy.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144384.jpg)
TESS separates from the upper stage of its Falcon 9 rocket around 50 minutes after liftoff while flying over the Indian Ocean. Credit: SpaceX

In concert with preparations for the mission's first major engine burn, engineers in Dulles aim to switch on the data processing unit for TESS's four imaging cameras late Wednesday, followed by activation of the cameras themselves a few hours later, Lockwood said.

TESS carries four 16.8-megapixel cameras, each fitted with four red-sensitive CCD detectors, designed to detect planets transiting in front of their host stars. The cameras will search for brief dips in starlight to find the planets, and sophisticated software algorithms will allow astronomers to scan wide swaths of the sky once full-frame images are downlinked to Earth.

During TESS's two-year, $337 million mission, the MIT-built cameras will survey more than 85 percent of the sky, looking at approximately 200,000 pre-selected bright, nearby stars, including the 6,000 or so stars that are visible to the naked eye in the night sky.

TESS will primarily look at M-dwarf stars, which are smaller and cooler than the sun, and make up the majority of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Also called red dwarfs, the stars that are TESS's focus have not been thoroughly investigated to determine whether they harbor their own solar systems.

George Ricker, who leads the TESS science team at MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, said the exoplanet surveyor is a "finder scope" for the planned James Webb Space Telescope and huge ground-based observatories.

"TESS is a survey machine, and it's going to find the very best planets for us to follow-up, and among that category are these small rocky planets, transiting small red dwarf stars," said Sara Seager, deputy science director on the TESS mission at MIT.

Ricker said he expects TESS to find between 500 and 1,000 planets that are between one and three times the size of Earth. Up to 20,000 planets the size of Neptune or Jupiter could be discovered by TESS, he said.

TESS will build on discoveries made by NASA's Kepler observatory, which astronomers have used to find more than 2,600 exoplanets. But the worlds found by Kepler are much farther away than the ones that TESS will try to detect, and Kepler only looked at certain blocks of the sky.

The switch-on of TESS's cameras this week will kick off steps to begin taking test images to ensure the instrument works as designed.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144382.jpg)
An illustration of the phasing orbits to be employed by TESS on the way to its final science orbit, labeled P/2 in this image. Credit: NASA

The lunar flyby next month will loop TESS into an orbit that takes it well beyond the moon, and a final major thruster firing will reduce the satellite's apogee altitude in June.

By June 17, TESS will be in its final science orbit and ready to begin the planet hunt, Lockwood said.

TESS will end up in an orbit resonant with the moon's, ranging between 67,000 miles (108,000 kilometers) and 233,000 miles (376,000 kilometers) from Earth. In that orbit, TESS will make one lap around Earth every 13.7 days, about half the time it takes the moon to circle the Earth.

The moon's gravity will tug on TESS at a 90-degree angle each time the satellite passes through the moon's orbit, pulling on the spacecraft from one direction as TESS climbs away from Earth, then the opposite direction as it descends back toward the planet.

Thanks to the moon, TESS's "just right" orbit is gravitationally stable, requiring no maintenance burns to keep spacecraft in the correct location for scientific observations. TESS has enough fuel to keep up its exoplanet hunt for as long as 20 or 30 years, assuming NASA funding and spacecraft components remain robust, Ricker said.

"The overall effect is it actually stabilizes the orbit for TESS," Ricker said before the launch. "This is a type of orbit that's normally unstable. If you aren't careful about the way that you launch into this orbit, you're almost guaranteed to hit the moon within four years. There's a delicate balance that's involved in staying in this orbit, and there's a lot of effort that's gone into it.

"But if you actually manage to do this, this orbit is actually stable for decades. There's no station-keeping required. You don't have to have thrusters or anything ... to maintain the orbit. So it's a very elegant solution to this problem."

The mission's unique orbit also has other advantages. It stays well above Earth's radiation belts, which pose hazards to spacecraft electronics and imaging sensors, but it comes close enough to Earth to beam imagery back to scientists through NASA's Deep Space Network at high rates.

After more than 300 hours of continuous, uninterrupted science observations, TESS will turn and point its Ka-band high-gain antenna toward Earth at perigee, radioing full-frame images to the ground at up to 109 megabits per second, a blistering pace compared to most NASA science missions.

TESS will spend the first year of its mission surveying the southern sky, then will switch to the northern sky in 2019.

For Lockwood, who has worked on the TESS mission for eight years, last week's launch was a turning point.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144281.jpg)
Robert Lockwood (at right), Orbital ATK's TESS program manager, speaks with members of NASA's social media group before launch last week. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

"For a while, it didn't really feel real," Lockwood said. "I'd been there so close to the hardware for so long, and then all of a sudden it's not here.

"There was that brief period wh ere I had a surreal feeling, it's no longer around. It's like a kid leaving to go to college, and I've had four kids leave to go to college."

The launch was "terrific," Lockwood said, timed perfectly and putting TESS on the right trajectory to begin the mission's orbital dance with the moon.

TESS started a pre-programmed sequence after separating from the upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, and controllers received telemetry moments after the satellite's deployment over the Indian Ocean. The satellite's two power-generating solar array wings unfurled to start generating electricity.

"A lot of guys ran outside to go watch the rocket, but I stayed inside watching (data) on the console," Lockwood said. "For me, it's when it comes off the top of the rocket, and I'm waiting for telemetry to come, and I'm waiting for the solar arrays to deploy. That's when I'm sighing a big sigh of relief."

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 9 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/988443680628502528)

This plot shows the reorientation to the burn attitude. Because the #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) S/C is rotating the Doppler will change slightly. The burn was at 4/22:01:59 (UTC) with a reorientation after the burn. The plot matches this scenario.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/32932.jpg)Scott Tilley‏ @coastal8049 (https://twitter.com/coastal8049) 21 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/988129884907040768)

#TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) continues it ascent toward first apogee. This data obtained yesterday shows no pronounced periodic behaviours in signal frequency or amplitude, previous days show similar characteristics. Sometimes the beacon shifts frequency a little or switches off...
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162833.png)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162834.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162836.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/162835.png)

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/988450606087057408)

Yesterday @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) performed star tracker to gyro / Reaction Wheel Assemblies (RWA) calibration. Observatory is performing great with no issues. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 29 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/988752668347813893)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) remains in Coarse Pointing Inertial, all subsystems are nominal. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) continues to make contact with the Deep Space Network. The on-board orbit propagator was initialized and is now running. Additional observatory subsystems are planned for check out today.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/989111041001967618)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) successfully completed the first perigee maneuver (PM1). Initial indications are that the burn was nominal. P1M is the second of six on orbit burns for #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) to reach its final science orbit.

ЦитироватьNASA's new planet-hunting satellite begins climb into science orbit
April 25, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

Looping back near Earth for the first time since its launch one week ago, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite fired its thrusters early Wednesday to begin boosting its orbit toward the moon for a May 17 gravity assist maneuver that will help catapult the probe into its unique science orbit.

The spacecraft's thrusters ignited early Thursday to raise the farthest point of TESS's orbit around Earth closer to the moon. The maneuver was timed as TESS reached its first perigee — the low point of its elongated orbit — since launching April 18 from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The Falcon 9 launcher deposited TESS into an elliptical orbit stretching around 170,000 miles (270,000 kilometers) from Earth. TESS briefly fired its thrusters Saturday as it reached the farthest point, or apogee, of its initial orbit to raise its perigee from around 150 miles (250 kilometers) to around 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers).

The next maneuver accomplished early Wednesday positioned TESS's apogee at approximately 220,000 miles (354,000 kilometers), more than 90 percent of the distance of the moon's orbit, according to tracking data published by the U.S. military.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144381.jpg)
Artist's illustration of TESS in space. Credit: NASA/Goddard

Wednesday's thruster firing was the second of six maneuvers planned to send TESS into its final operational orbit. Another burn next week will be timed to occur as TESS reaches its new apogee, followed by two additional perigee maneuvers that will fine-tune the satellite's trajectory and set up for a flyby of the moon May 17.

The lunar flyby next month — targeting a distance of around 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) from the moon — will loop TESS into an orbit that takes it well beyond lunar distance, and a final major thruster firing will reduce the satellite's apogee altitude in June.

By June 17, TESS will be in its final science orbit and ready to begin the planet hunt.

TESS will end up in an orbit resonant with the moon's, ranging between 67,000 miles (108,000 kilometers) and 233,000 miles (376,000 kilometers) from Earth. In that orbit, TESS will make one lap around Earth every 13.7 days, about half the time it takes the moon to circle the Earth.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144383.jpg)
Artist's illustration of the TESS mission's three orbit phasing loops before the lunar flyby next month. The moon's orbit is marked by the dashed path at right. Credit: NASA

Since the launch April 18, ground controllers at Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, which built the spacecraft, have switched on key components on the satellite, including reaction wheels and star trackers used to keep TESS properly pointed in space. On Wednesday, engineers sent commands to turn on the satellite's Ka-band transmitter, which routes signals through a high-gain antenna needed to beam full-frame images back to Earth from TESS's four 16.8-megapixel science cameras.

Controllers planned to begin activating the cameras as soon as Thursday, beginning several weeks of calibrations and checkouts to make sure the MIT-built imagers are ready science observations.

Each of the four cameras are fitted with four red-sensitive CCD detectors, designed to detect planets transiting in front of their host stars. The cameras will search for brief dips in starlight to find the planets, and sophisticated software algorithms will allow astronomers to scan wide swaths of the sky once full-frame images are downlinked to Earth.

During TESS's two-year, $337 million mission, the MIT-built cameras will survey more than 85 percent of the sky, looking at approximately 200,000 pre-selected bright, nearby stars, including the 6,000 or so stars that are visible to the naked eye in the night sky.

Read our earlier story (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/25/after-terrific-launch-tess-nears-first-major-orbit-raising-burn/) for details on the mission.

[свернуть]

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 17 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/989297254262624256)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: The Ka-band transmitter and Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier were turned on. @NASASCaN (https://twitter.com/NASASCaN)'s Deep Space Network successfully locked on to the Ka signal immediately. The link showed a strong link margin with no errors.

16 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/989315773981175810)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: The #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) ADHU (data handling unit computer for the instrument from @SEAKR_Eng (https://twitter.com/SEAKR_Eng)) was turned on. Checkout confirmed all nominal. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) sent data from the ADHU to the Ka Transmitter and received packets at DSN without errors.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 5 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/990616006568632320)

TESS is approaching its second apogee - at 1903 UTC today it will be 353440 km above the Earth's surface and start on the downward arc of its second orbit.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 15 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/990743720566894594)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: Team decided that the second apogee maneuver (Apogee 2 maneuver (A2M)), was not necessary based on the good system performance during the first two maneuvers. Spacecraft subsystems continue to operate nominally.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 3 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/990922086913839105)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: The four cameras for #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) are now powered on and will begin collecting data for the calibration process which will last until mid June.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 5 ч назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/991285551025348609)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: The #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) team were successful in putting TESS in Fine Pointing Mode (instrument supplying quaternions) for the first time as part of instrument commissioning.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/992465126031847424)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) continued fine pointing data collection for instrument calibration. The #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) cameras are being slowly cooled to their operating temperature of -80°C.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 10 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/992765859939717120)

After yesterday's perigee 2, TESS is back out 200,000 km from Earth heading towards another apogee, which it will reach on May 8 2214 UTC

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/994159146374172673)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: After P2M (Perigee 2 Maneuver) was completed, the spacecraft is in Coarse Pointing Inertial mode. Pointing is stable and all spacecraft systems are nominal. The cameras are on and taking data, and are continuing cooling to approximately -85C.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/995167424923275265)

The TESS planet hunter is approaching its third perigee -it is now (May 12 0500 UTC) 220,000 km up, but it will speed to only 870 km above Earth at 1137 UTC May 13. Then it heads out towards its May 17 lunar flyby.

8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/995168279307177984)

TESS will be inside the Lunar gravitational (Hill) sphere of influence from 1218 UTC May 16 to 0047 UTC May 18; closest approach to lunar surface is 8119 km at 0631 UTC May 17.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 7 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/995979301915897857)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: The spacecraft is in Coarse Pointing Inertial mode, with the instrument ensemble boresight at -54deg pitch. Battery is healthy and between 33.1-33.3V. No spacecraft activities yesterday, the cameras are on and taking data, and have reached -85C ± 1C.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/996209235276025856)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: Perigee 3 Maneuver (P3M) was completed successfully with nominal performance from the thrusters. #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) is on its way to a lunar flyby at 06:34:35 UTC on 17th May. @NASAMoon (https://twitter.com/NASAMoon) here we come!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 40 сек. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/996828975518420998)

The @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) spacecraft entered the lunar gravitational sphere of influence (Hill sphere) at 1218 UTC May 16. TESS is currently 37200 km from the lunar surface

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 45 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/996831284629565441)

#TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) is on track for a lunar flyby on 17 May at 06:34:35 UTC (2:34 AM EST). At this point, TESS will be 8,253 km from the lunar surface. In the coming days, follow @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA), @NASAGoddard (https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard), @NASAblueshift (https://twitter.com/NASAblueshift) and @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) for more details.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164263.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/996886249419034625)

TESS now 29287 km from lunar surface. 8 hours to closest approach

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 9 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/996923631694467072)

TESS 5 hours to lunar closest approach; distance to lunar surface 20900 km and dropping. Post-encounter Earth orbit will be 99750 x 449600 km x 36.5 deg as of May 25.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 2 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/997485558283882501)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) successfully completed a lunar flyby on May 17. TESS completed scheduled contact with @NASASCaN (https://twitter.com/NASASCaN)'s Deep Space Network. Post flyby tracking was confirmed. TESS was 8,253.54 km from the surface of the moon at its closest approach.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163949.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185475.png)TESS at MIT‏ @TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT) 7 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT/status/997496162591617024)

Bright star Beta Centauri shines at the bottom edge of this early image from one of the four @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) cameras. There are over 200,000 stars in this image!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163956.jpg)

ЦитироватьMay 18, 2018

NASA's New Planet Hunter Snaps Initial Test Image, Swings by Moon Toward Final Orbit

NASA's next planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is one step closer to searching for new worlds after successfully completing a lunar flyby on May 17. The spacecraft passed about 5,000 miles from the Moon, which provided a gravity assist that helped TESS sail toward its final working orbit.

As part of camera commissioning, the science team snapped a two-second test exposure using one of the four TESS cameras. The image, centered on the southern constellation Centaurus, reveals more than 200,000 stars. The edge of the Coalsack Nebula is in the right upper corner and the bright star Beta Centauri is visible at the lower left edge. TESS is expected to cover more than 400 times as much sky as shown in this image with its four cameras during its initial two-year search for exoplanets. A  science-quality image, also referred to as a "first light" image, is expected to be released in June.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207719.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/embargo20180518fordisplay4flat8x10300dpiedit1textflat.jpg)
This test image from one of the four cameras aboard the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) captures a swath of the southern sky along the plane of our galaxy. TESS is expected to cover more than 400 times the amount of sky shown in this image when using all four of its cameras during science operations.
Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS

TESS will undergo one final thruster burn on May 30 to enter its science orbit around Earth. This highly elliptical orbit will maximize the amount of sky the spacecraft can image, allowing it to continuously monitor large swaths of the sky. TESS is expected to begin science operations in mid-June after reaching this orbit and completing camera calibrations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=-AIbD2WxyN8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=-AIbD2WxyN8)
(video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=-AIbD2WxyN8) 1:19)
An animation of the steps TESS must complete before reaching its final orbit. The observatory just completed its lunar flyby and is on track to reach its final science orbit in mid-June.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Download this video in HD formats from the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12884)

Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 18, TESS is the next step in NASA's search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. The mission will observe nearly the entire sky to monitor nearby, bright stars in search of transits — periodic dips in a star's brightness caused by a planet passing in front of the star. TESS is expected to find thousands of exoplanets. NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2020, will provide important follow-up observations of some of the most promising TESS-discovered exoplanets, allowing scientists to study their atmospheres.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Orbital ATK, based in Dulles, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. The TESS science instruments were jointly developed by MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

Banner image: An illustration of TESS as it passed the Moon during its lunar flyby. This provided a gravitational boost that placed TESS on course for its final working orbit. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

By Claire Saravia (mailto:claire.g.desaravia@nasa.gov?subject=RE%20TESS%20Test%20Image%20and%20Moon%20Flyby)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (http://www.nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md.

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Last Updated: May 18, 2018
Editor: Rob Garner

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/997921651906969601)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: Based on great performance from the lunar fly-by, no adjustment burn is required. The next maneuver is the Period Adjust Maneuver (PAM) on May 30th; it will put #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) into final science orbit. Observatory is in Coarse Pointing Mode operating nominally.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/998597051788218369)

TESS is now 448000 km from Earth, and about 280000 km from the Moon, coasting in the outer part of the Earth-Moon system. It will come back in to a 99,000 km perigee on May 30

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186190.jpg)Orbital ATK‏Подлинная учетная запись @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK) 5 мин.5 минут назад (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK/status/998996015406551040)


Congratulations @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)! The Orbital ATK-built spacecraft successfully completed its lunar flyby with help from our mission operations team based in Dulles, VA. This flyby provided the gravity assist needed to place TESS in its final orbit.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 3 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1002603655722397696)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: The Period Adjust Maneuver (PAM) was completed successfully on May 30th. The burn was confirmed as nominal. No trajectory adjustment maneuver will be required. Success! #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) is in its final lunar resonant orbit!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67516.jpg)Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 (https://twitter.com/planet4589) 28 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1002649247391584256)

The TESS orbit adjust burn was planned to occur around 0130 UTC May 30 and change TESS' orbit from 99036 x 435600 km to 99037 x 366905 km, reducing orbital period from 17.47 days to 13.48 days

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 20 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1003485273710301186)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: The #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) team are now assessing the final orbit to understand long term eclipse predictions and other parameters that can be used in planning the two year survey for #exoplanets (https://twitter.com/hashtag/exoplanets?src=hash).

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 32 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1009789588116770816)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) Mission Update: #TESS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESS?src=hash) continues to operate in its science orbit that was reached in May. In one of the last passes, TESS performed a "break dance:" rotating around to evaluate any stray light sources to characterize camera performance for the duration of the mission.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1013844233340510211)

Woohoo! Go, @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) (@TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT)) go! Find us those near-Earth #exoplanets (https://twitter.com/hashtag/exoplanets?src=hash). Major props (<-- hehe, get it?) to @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK), now @northropgrumman (https://twitter.com/northropgrumman), for building such a sophisticated and fine-tuned propulsion system.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186132.jpg)Luca Maltagliati‏ @LucaPlanets (https://twitter.com/LucaPlanets) 12 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/LucaPlanets/status/1013707975058485248)

The orbit adjust burns of @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) were 10 times more precise than expected! It was so good that the spacecraft has fuel for >20 years of stable operations (!!)
#Exoplanets2 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Exoplanets2?src=hash)

ЦитироватьChris B - NSF (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) ретвитнул(а)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67585.jpg)Eric Berger‏Подлинная учетная запись @SciGuySpace (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace) 33 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1016785065311956992)

The @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) mission has been awfully quiet of late. I inquired today if anything was wrong. The totality of the reply I received is thus:

"NASA will be issuing an update on TESS tomorrow (Wednesday) by noon EDT. I will send you a link when it's live."

ЦитироватьJuly 11, 2018

NASA's TESS Spacecraft Continues Testing Prior to First Observations

After a successful launch on April 18, 2018, NASA's newest planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, is currently undergoing a series of commissioning tests before it begins searching for planets. The TESS team has reported that the spacecraft and cameras are in good health, and the spacecraft has successfully reached its final science orbit. The team continues to conduct tests in order to optimize spacecraft performance with a goal of beginning science at the end of July.

Спойлер

Every new mission goes through a commissioning period of testing and adjustments before beginning science operations. This serves to test how the spacecraft and its instruments are performing and determines whether any changes need to be made before the mission starts observations.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

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Last Updated: July 11, 2018
Editor: Rob Garner

ЦитироватьОрбитальный телескоп TESS приступит к поиску экзопланет в конце июля

Космос (http://tass.ru/kosmos) | 14 июля, 11:07 UTC+3

В NASA заявили, что отстали от графика приблизительно на шесть недель

ВАШИНГТОН, 14 июля. /Корр. ТАСС Александр Пахомов/. Телескоп TESS, выведенный на орбиту 18 апреля, приступит к поиску потенциально пригодных для жизни планет в конце текущего месяца. Об этом сообщили журналистам представители NASA, подчеркнув, что, если все пойдет по плану, то проводимая сейчас специалистами проверка оборудования космической обсерватории завершится "довольно скоро".

"Команда, отвечающая за TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, Спутник по исследованию планет, проходящих перед своей звездой), проинформировала, что аппарат и его камеры находятся в хорошем состоянии после запуска. Телескоп достиг запланированной орбиты. Команда экспертов продолжает проводить проверку работоспособности оборудования с тем, чтобы телескоп приступил к научным исследованиям в конце июля", - отмечается в распространенном заявлении.

При этом NASA признало, что примерно на шесть недель отстало от графика. Первоначально предполагалось, что TESS начнет поиски экзопланет в середине июня.

Спойлер

Для вывода телескопа в космос с космодрома на мысе Канаверал (штат Флорида) была использована разработанная компанией SpaceX ракета-носитель Falcon 9. Сейчас TESS находится на эллиптической орбите, позволяющей совершать оборот вокруг Земли каждые 13,7 дня. Высота в перигее составляет 108 тыс. километров, в апогее - 373 тыс. км. Ожидается, что миссия аппарата, создание которого обошлось примерно в $340 млн, продлится по меньшей мере два года.

Как указал накануне вывода телескопа в космос Джордж Рикер, руководитель группы исследователей из Массачусетского технологического института, которая занимается реализацией данного проекта, "мы ожидаем, что TESS откроет ряд планет, химический состав атмосферы которых может представлять интерес с биологической точки зрения". В свою очередь представитель NASA Стивен Райнхарт заметил тогда, что эта обсерватория "открывает дверь для исследований на совершенно другом уровне". "Мы сможем изучать отдельные планеты и обсуждать различия между ними. Это новая эра в исследовании экзопланет", - сказал он.

TESS сфокусируется на звездах, находящихся на расстоянии до 300 световых лет от Земли. Предполагается, что телескоп, оснащенный четырьмя широкоугольными камерами, изучит более 200 тыс. звезд с целью выявить на их ярком фоне крохотные пятна, которые могут оказаться планетами. Всего ученые рассчитывают обнаружить несколько тысяч планет. Ими в дальнейшем более углубленно будут заниматься уже другие телескопы, в частности, James Webb с диаметром зеркала 6,5 метра, запуск которого в космос планируется на 30 марта 2021 года.

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/194756.webp)

NASA's TESS Spacecraft Starts Science Operations
2018-07-27

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has started its search for planets around nearby stars, officially beginning science operations on July 25, 2018. TESS is expected to transmit its first series of science data back to Earth in August, and thereafter periodically every 13.5 days, once per orbit, as the spacecraft makes it closest approach to Earth. The TESS Science Team will begin searching the data for new planets immediately after the first series arrives.

Спойлер

"I'm thrilled that our planet hunter is ready to start combing the backyard of our solar system for new worlds," said Paul Hertz, NASA Astrophysics division director at Headquarters, Washington. "With possibly more planets than stars in our universe, I look forward to the strange, fantastic worlds we're bound to discover."

TESS is NASA's latest satellite to search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. The mission will spend the next two years monitoring the nearest and brightest stars for periodic dips in their light. These events, called transits, suggest that a planet may be passing in front of its star. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets using this method, some of which could potentially support life.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

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ЦитироватьTESS's planet hunt begins
July 27, 2018 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/07/) | Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144727.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Credit: NASA

NASA's newest observatory in space has started its search for planets around other stars, officials said Friday, as astronomers zero in on worlds that are ripe for research by follow-up missions like the James Webb Space Telescope.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite officially began a two-year science mission Wednesday, around three months after its blastoff fr om Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Спойлер

"I'm thrilled that our new planet hunter mission is ready to start scouring our solar system's neighborhood for new worlds," said Paul Hertz, NASA's astrophysics division director. "Now that we know there are more planets than stars in our universe, I look forward to the strange, fantastic worlds we're bound to discover."

Equipped with four 16.8-megapixel science cameras, TESS will look for blinks in light coming from relatively bright, nearby stars caused when planets pass in front of them. From those observations, astronomers can determine the size of each newly-discovered planet, then use other techniques such as radial velocity measurements to derive their masses.

TESS is a follow-up to NASA's Kepler mission, which is nearing the end of its mission searching for planets around other stars. Kepler — NASA's first mission dedicated to an exoplanet search — generally looked for worlds around more distant stars, resulting in 2,650 new confirmed planets beyond our solar system to date.

The TESS mission is geared to observe stars closer to the sun. In addition, Kepler has only pointed at certain parts of the sky, while TESS will take a broader look.

George Ricker, who leads the TESS science team at MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, said the exoplanet surveyor is a "finder scope" for the Webb telescope and huge ground-based observatories.

"You can go out on a dark night, and you can see 6,000 stars or so in the sky with your naked eye," Ricker said. "We're going to look at every single one of those stars."

Approximately 20 million stars will be visible by TESS's light-sensitive cameras, including targets up to a million times fainter than observable with the naked eye, Ricker said. Around 200,000 of those stars are "pre-selected" by the TESS science team for special emphasis because of their proximity and brightness.

Each of TESS's cameras house four custom-built red-sensitive CCD detectors designed and developed by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory.

"TESS is a survey machine, and it's going to find the very best planets for us to follow-up, and among that category are these small rocky planets, transiting small red dwarf stars," said Sara Seager, deputy science director on the TESS mission at MIT, in an interview before the mission's launch.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144282.jpg)
NASA's Transiting Exopanet Survey Satellite lifted off April 18 from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Credit: SpaceX

Ricker said he expects TESS to find between 500 and 1,000 planets that are between one and three times the size of Earth. Up to 20,000 planets the size of Neptune or Jupiter could be discovered by TESS, he said.

That would grow the number of known planets beyond our solar system by factor of five or more, but it's not all about expanding the exoplanet catalog.

"The focus that TESS has on finding systems associated with bright stars means that they will be much easier to follow-up," Ricker said in an interview with Spaceflight Now. "Once you find that a transiting system exists, it's something that you'll want to come back to and study more and more as improved instruments, satellites and telescopes become available because this is going to be the benchmark for future research."

That's wh ere the James Webb Space Telescope becomes a crucial tool for astronomers seeking to learn more about the nature of faraway exoplanets. Scheduled for launch in early 2021, the oft-delayed Webb telescope will be able to probe the atmospheres of some of these worlds, learning about their chemical make-up and searching for evidence that the planets might be habitable.

Once launched, the huge, expandable observatory "will be able to look for characteristic signatures of materials in the atmospheres of those planets ... and something that's potentially a biogenic signature," Ricker told Spaceflight Now. "Of course, that takes a lot of care and a lot of work. TESS can only point the way to these are the best targets that you should be focusing on with Webb."

TESS will scan around 85 percent of the sky during its two-year prime mission, beginning with stars in the southern sky. In 2019, the observatory will shift its aim to the northern sky.

The mission will primarily look at M-dwarf stars, which are smaller and cooler than the sun, and make up the majority of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Also called red dwarfs, the stars that are TESS's focus have not been thoroughly investigated to determine whether they harbor their own solar systems.

Since its April 18 launch, TESS has maneuvered into a unique orbit in gravitational resonance with the moon that takes the spacecraft between distances of 67,000 miles (108,000 kilometers) and 233,000 miles (376,000 kilometers) from Earth. In that orbit, TESS makes one loop around Earth about every two weeks.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/144697.jpg)
This test image from one of the four cameras aboard the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite captures a swath of the southern sky along the plane of our galaxy. TESS is expected to cover more than 400 times the amount of sky shown in this image when using all four of its cameras during science operations.
Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS

NASA released the first test image from one of TESS's four cameras in May, showing roughly 200,000 stars along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy.

The first set of science data from TESS will be downlinked to Earth in August, and NASA said astronomers will immediately begin analyzing the imagery. Software will help scientists cull the data and detect transit signals from exoplanets.

Built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems — formerly known as Orbital ATK — TESS fired its thrusters multiple times, and used a gravity assist flyby of the moon May 17, to reach the $337 million mission's final orbit, a stable perch that requires no further rocket burns and which passes close enough to Earth to transmit full frame images from the craft's science cameras through a high-speed Ka-band downlink. The orbit also keeps TESS away from the damaging influence of the Van Allen radiation belts.

The spacecraft, which weighed less than a half-ton at launch, carries enough fuel to continue operating up to 20 or 30 years, Ricker said in an interview before TESS's launch. That assumes NASA funding and spacecraft parts remain robust.

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ЦитироватьТелескоп TESS официально начал поиски "двойников Земли"
13:24 30.07.2018

МОСКВА, 30 июл – РИА Новости. Орбитальная обсерватория TESS успешно прошла все проверки инструментов и приступила к наблюдениям за самыми яркими звездами Галактики, рядом с которыми могут скрываться полноценные двойники Земли, сообщает НАСА (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-s-tess-spacecraft-starts-science-operations).

"Я невероятно рад тому, что наш новый "охотник за планетами" начал "прочесывать" Галактику в поисках пока неизвестных миров. Сейчас мы хорошо понимаем, что планет во Вселенной больше, чем звезд, и я с нетерпением ожидаю открытия крайне причудливых и просто странных миров", — заявил Пол Герц (Paul Hertz), глава Астрофизического подразделения НАСА.

Спойлер

Телескоп TESS был запущен в апреле этого года в качестве замены для его знаменитого предшественника, орбитальной обсерватории "Кеплер", открывшей тысячи экзопланет за восемь лет работы. Запасы топлива на его борту сейчас подходят к концу, и ученые ожидают, что он окончательно прекратит наблюдения в самое ближайшее время.

В отличие от него, TESS будет следить не за одним участком неба, как это делал "Кеплер" в первые четыре года работы на орбите, а за разными уголками космоса, где находятся интересные ученым звезды и планеты.

Еще одним новшеством станет то, что TESS будет следить не за солнцеподобными, а за более яркими звездами, о планетах которых астрономы сегодня практически ничего не знают. Их "перепись", как надеются ученые, покажет, как часто могут формироваться аналоги Земли у более крупных и ярких светил, и насколько вероятно зарождение жизни на их поверхности.

Как и "Кеплер", TESS будет открывать новые планеты, отыскивая периодические колебания в яркости звезд, свидетельствующие о том, что их свет временно загородила одна или несколько планет.

Подобная методика позволяет достаточно быстро и точно открывать планеты, близко расположенные к звездам, однако у нее есть и несколько минусов. К примеру, она не приспособлена для поисков очень небольших и далеких планет, совершающих один виток вокруг светила за несколько сотен лет, и она не позволяет точно определить массу открытых экзомиров.

По этой причине все самые интересные открытия TESS будут дополнительно изучены крупнейшими наземными телескопами, способными открывать планеты по сдвигам в спектре их звезд, и строящейся орбитальной обсерваторией "Джеймс Уэбб", которая заменит "Хаббл" в начале 2020 годов.

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На прошлой неделе, как отмечает Герц, все проверки TESS были успешно завершены, и сейчас телескоп начал вести научные наблюдения. Первые снимки и данные будут переданы на землю в первых числах августа, и ученые сразу же приступят к поиску следов экзопланет внутри них.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186414.jpg)Tom Barclay‏Подлинная учетная запись @mrtommyb (https://twitter.com/mrtommyb) 2 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/mrtommyb/status/1023927297253040129)

In the first year, the @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) orbital period ranges from 12.9-14.5 days. The sector durations range from 25.7 to 29.0 days. We are currently in one of the longest duration orbits.

ЦитироватьJuly 27, 2018

NASA's TESS Spacecraft Starts Science Operations

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208518.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/lsp_tess_image.jpg)
An artist's illustration of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has started its search for planets around nearby stars, officially beginning science operations on July 25, 2018. TESS is expected to transmit its first series of science data back to Earth in August, and thereafter periodically every 13.5 days, once per orbit, as the spacecraft makes it closest approach to Earth. The TESS Science Team will begin searching the data for new planets immediately after the first series arrives.

Спойлер

"I'm thrilled that our new planet hunter mission is ready to start scouring our solar system's neighborhood for new worlds," said Paul Hertz, NASA Astrophysics division director at Headquarters, Washington. "Now that we know there are more planets than stars in our universe, I look forward to the strange, fantastic worlds we're bound to discover."

TESS is NASA's latest satellite to search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. The mission will spend the next two years monitoring the nearest and brightest stars for periodic dips in their light. These events, called transits, suggest that a planet may be passing in front of its star. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets using this method, some of which could potentially support life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evHF_mnIdj4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evHF_mnIdj4)
(video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evHF_mnIdj4) 1:34)
Animation showing how TESS will observe the sky. TESS will watch each observation sector for at least 27 days, before rotating to the next one, covering first the southern then the northern hemisphere to build a map of 85 percent of the sky.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Download this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12884)

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

Media contact: Claire Saravia (mailto:claire.g.desaravia@nasa.gov?subject=RE%20TESS%20Starts%20Science%20Operations)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (https://www.nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md.

[свернуть]

Last Updated: July 27, 2018
Editor: Rob Garner

ЦитироватьNorthrop Grumman-Built and Operated Planet-Seeking Spacecraft Begins Multi-Year Mission

First science-quality images taken using onboard cameras
August 02, 2018

Dulles, Va. – Aug. 2, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced that NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has successfully reached its desired stable orbit and begun science operations. The spacecraft was built and operated by Northrop Grumman. The TESS spacecraft instrument is the set of four wide-field cameras designed and built by MIT and MIT Lincoln Lab. The principal goal of the TESS mission is to use its four wide-field cameras to detect planets around bright host stars in the solar neighborhood so that detailed characterizations of the planets and their atmospheres can be performed through follow-up observations from telescopes on Earth and in space. As the first-ever satellite to perform an exoplanet survey of nearly the entire sky, TESS will identify planets ranging from Earth-sized to Jupiter-sized, orbiting a wide range of stellar types at various orbital distances.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/190726.jpg)
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was designed, manufactured and tested by Northrop Grumman in the company's Dulles, Virginia, satellite manufacturing facility. The company is also responsible for handling mission operations for the observatory.

The TESS spacecraft was designed, manufactured and tested by Northrop Grumman at the company's satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles. The company is also responsible for handling mission operations for the observatory. TESS was launched April 18, 2018, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. After launch, the observatory went through a series of tests and began preparation for a series of in-space maneuvers, including a lunar gravity assist, to reach its targeted highly-elliptical orbit. This lunar flyby was executed May 17 and the final period-adjustment maneuver was performed May 29.

"The TESS observatory is in excellent condition after completing the journey to its final orbit," said Steve Krein, vice president, science and environmental satellite programs, Northrop Grumman. "TESS is another example of our ability to deliver successful scientific space missions that shape our knowledge of the known universe. We are proud to provide critical mission operations for TESS as it continues a historic journey to identify new planets outside our solar system."

The four TESS cameras developed by MIT project partners are integrated with Northrop Grumman's LEOStar-2™ bus, a flight-proven and flexible satellite platform that accommodates a wide variety of missions. The company has several other satellites in production for upcoming NASA missions including the Earth science ICESat-2 and Landsat-9 satellites and the JPSS-2, -3 and -4 weather spacecraft which use the larger LEOStar-3™ bus, as well as the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) LEOStar-2 satellite to be launched later this year. 

TESS is a NASA astrophysics explorer mission led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners besides Northrop Grumman include NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

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Цитироватьtnt22 пишет:
Подобная методика позволяет достаточно быстро и точно открывать планеты, близко расположенные к звездам, однако у нее есть и несколько минусов. К примеру, она не приспособлена для поисков очень небольших и далеких планет, совершающих один виток вокруг светила за несколько сотен лет, и она не позволяет точно определить массу открытых экзомиров.

ЦитироватьNASA's TESS Catches a Comet

NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 6 авг. 2018 г.

This video is compiled from a series of images taken on July 25 by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The angular extent of the widest field of view is six degrees. Visible in the images are the comet C/2018 N1, asteroids, variable stars, asteroids and reflected light from Mars. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets around other nearby stars.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 21 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1027327466975752197)

TESS Mission Update: Successfully downlinked through @NASASCaN (https://twitter.com/NASASCaN) #DSN (https://twitter.com/hashtag/DSN?src=hash) the first 2 weeks of @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) science data! Downlink of a full orbit took ~1.25 hours to dump ~53GB of data.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1027519945587019777)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) will return to science observing mode until its next pass by Earth again at perigee on August 20th. This will be the next downlink of science data. TESS will process ~68 megabytes of data per second collected by the cameras onboard.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167876.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 18 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1033529711702560769)

The unique @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) orbit has the spacecraft approach Earth close every several weeks as we downlink our data. It allows people like Peter Birtwhistle @J95_Peter (https://twitter.com/J95_Peter) from Great Shefford Observatory (http://www.birtwhistle.org.uk  (https://t.co/btjcxPa0gf)) in West Berkshire, England to capture a picture of TESS!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/168579.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185438.jpg)Michael Brown‏ @MJIBrown (https://twitter.com/MJIBrown) 11 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/MJIBrown/status/1034040974421442563)

Early TESS at #iau2018 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/iau2018?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/168653.jpg)

11 ч.11 часов назад (https://twitter.com/MJIBrown/status/1034041543601139712)

So far so good with TESS. #IAU2018 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/IAU2018?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/168654.jpg)

11 ч.11 часов назад (https://twitter.com/MJIBrown/status/1034042858578300929)

Early TESS light curves. #iau2018 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/iau2018?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/168655.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/168656.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 8 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1040407890413199360)

.@NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS)'s Post-Launch Assessment Review (PLAR) was successful today! This @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA) review evaluated readiness of the spacecraft systems to proceed with routine operations. TESS is performing great on orbit and continues to send back exoplanet science data for further analysis!

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/169477.jpg)

ЦитироватьSept. 17, 2018

NASA's TESS Shares First Science Image in Hunt to Find New Worlds

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208118.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/tess_first_light-tb.jpg)
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) took this snapshot of the Large Magellanic Cloud (right) and the bright star R Doradus (left) with just a single detector of one of its cameras on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The frame is part of a swath of the southern sky TESS captured in its "first light" science image as part of its initial round of data collection.
Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS
More TESS "first light" multimedia (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13069)

NASA's newest planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) (https://www.nasa.gov/tess-transiting-exoplanet-survey-satellite), is now providing valuable data to help scientists discover and study exciting new exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar system. Part of the data from TESS' initial science orbit includes a detailed picture of the southern sky taken with all four of the spacecraft's wide-field cameras. This "first light" science image captures a wealth of stars and other objects, including systems previously known to have exoplanets.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208707.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/tessflleadimageenlarged_print.jpg)
Download high-resolution versions of this and other TESS "first light" images from the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS
More TESS "first light" multimedia (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13069)

"In a sea of stars brimming with new worlds, TESS is casting a wide net and will haul in a bounty of promising planets for further study," said Paul Hertz, astrophysics division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This first light science image shows the capabilities of TESS' cameras, and shows that the mission will realize its incredible potential in our search for another Earth."

TESS acquired the image using all four cameras during a 30-minute period on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The black lines in the image are gaps between the camera detectors. The images include parts of a dozen constellations, from Capricornus to Pictor, and both the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the galaxies nearest to our own. The small bright dot above the Small Magellanic Cloud is a globular cluster — a spherical collection of hundreds of thousands of stars — called NGC 104, also known as 47 Tucanae because of its location in the southern constellation Tucana, the Toucan. Two stars, Beta Gruis and R Doradus, are so bright they saturate an entire column of pixels on the detectors of TESS's second and fourth cameras, creating long spikes of light.

"This swath of the sky's southern hemisphere includes more than a dozen stars we know have transiting planets based on previous studies from ground observatories," said George Ricker, TESS principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (http://space.mit.edu/) in Cambridge.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208805.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208804.jpg)
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) captured this strip of stars and galaxies in the southern sky during one 30-minute period on Tuesday, Aug. 7. Created by combining the view from all four of its cameras, this is TESS' "first light," from the first observing sector that will be used for identifying planets around other stars. Notable features in this swath of the southern sky include the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and a globular cluster called NGC 104, also known as 47 Tucanae. The brightest stars in the image, Beta Gruis and R Doradus, saturated an entire column of camera detector pixels on the satellite's second and fourth cameras. Drag the slider back and forth to see the labeled and unlabeled versions of the image.
Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS
Download labeled image (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208804.jpg)
Download unlabeled image (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208805.jpg)
More TESS "first light" multimedia (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13069)

TESS's cameras, designed and built by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, and the MIT Kavli Institute, monitor large swaths of the sky to look for transits (https://youtu.be/wQySNy3Trzk). Transits occur when a planet passes in front of its star as viewed from the satellite's perspective, causing a regular dip in the star's brightness.

TESS will spend two years monitoring 26 such sectors for 27 days each, covering 85 percent of the sky. During its first year of operations, the satellite will study the 13 sectors making up the southern sky. Then TESS will turn to the 13 sectors of the northern sky to carry out a second year-long survey.

MIT coordinates with Northrop Grumman in Falls Church, Virginia, to schedule science observations. TESS transmits images every 13.7 days, each time it swings closest to Earth. NASA's Deep Space Network (https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/services/networks/dsn) receives and forwards the data to the TESS Payload Operations Center at MIT for initial evaluation and analysis. Full data processing and analysis takes place within the Science Processing and Operations Center pipeline at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, which provides calibrated images and refined light curves that scientists can analyze to find promising exoplanet transit candidates.

TESS builds on the legacy of NASA's Kepler spacecraft (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/main/index.html), which also uses transits to find exoplanets. TESS's target stars are 30 to 300 light-years away and about 30 to 100 times brighter than Kepler's targets, which are 300 to 3,000 light-years away. The brightness of TESS' targets make them ideal candidates for follow-up study with spectroscopy, the study of how matter and light interact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=evHF_mnIdj4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=evHF_mnIdj4)
(video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=evHF_mnIdj4) 1:34)
This animation shows how the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will study 85 percent of the sky in 26 sectors. The spacecraft will observe the 13 sectors that make up the southern sky in the first year and the 13 sectors of the northern sky in the second year.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Download this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12884)
TESS "first light" multimedia (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13069)

The James Webb Space Telescope (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html) and other space and ground observatories will use spectroscopy to learn more about the planets TESS finds, including their atmospheric compositions, masses and densities.

TESS has also started observations requested through the TESS Guest Investigator Program (https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/tess/proposing-investigations.html), which allows the broader scientific community to conduct research using the satellite.

"We were very pleased with the number of guest investigator proposals we received, and we competitively sel ected programs for a wide range of science investigations, from studying distant active galaxies to asteroids in our own solar system," said Padi Boyd, TESS project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "And of course, lots of exciting exoplanet and star proposals as well. The science community are chomping at the bit to see the amazing data that TESS will produce and the exciting science discoveries for exoplanets and beyond."

TESS launched fr om NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 18 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and used a flyby of the Moon (https://youtu.be/-AIbD2WxyN8)on May 17 to head toward its science orbit. TESS started collecting scientific data on July 25 after a period of extensive checks of its instruments.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

By Jeanette Kazmierczak (mailto:jeanette.a.kazmierczak@nasa.gov?subject=RE%20TESS%20First%20Light)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (https://www.nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md.

[свернуть]

Last Updated: Sept. 17, 2018
Editor: Rob Garner

ЦитироватьТелескоп TESS передал на Землю первые "научные" снимки
17:20 18.09.2018 (обновлено: 17:23 18.09.2018)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/133216.jpg) (https://cdn1.img.ria.ru/images/152883/48/1528834802.jpg)
© NASA / MIT/TESS (http://www.nasa.gov/)

МОСКВА, 18 сен – РИА Новости. Орбитальная обсерватория TESS передала на Землю первые "научные" снимки, полученные в рамках своеобразной "переписи" всех планет Млечного Пути. Фотографии и прочие данные были опубликованы на сайте НАСА.

"Благодаря TESS, у нас появилась возможность забросить сеть в "море звезд", кишащее бесчисленным множеством еще не открытых и неизведанных миров. Я уверен, что он откроет огромное число новых планет. Первые фотографии, полученные камерами TESS, на деле показывают, что ему под силу найти полноценную копию Земли", — заявил Пол Герц (Paul Hertz), глава Астрофизического подразделения НАСА.

Спойлер

Телескоп TESS был запущен в апреле этого года в качестве замены для его знаменитого предшественника, орбитальной обсерватории "Кеплер", открывшей тысячи экзопланет за восемь лет работы. Запасы топлива на его борту сейчас подходят к концу, и ученые ожидают, что он окончательно прекратит наблюдения в самое ближайшее время.

В отличие от него, TESS будет следить не за одним участком неба, как это делал "Кеплер" в первые четыре года работы на орбите, а за разными уголками космоса, где находятся интересные ученым звезды и планеты.

Еще одним новшеством станет то, что TESS будет следить не за солнцеподобными, а за более яркими звездами, о планетах которых астрономы сегодня практически ничего не знают. Их "перепись", как надеются ученые, покажет, как часто могут формироваться аналоги Земли у более крупных и ярких светил, и насколько вероятно зарождение жизни на их поверхности.

Как и "Кеплер", TESS будет открывать новые планеты, отыскивая периодические колебания в яркости звезд, свидетельствующие о том, что их свет временно загородила одна или несколько планет.

Подобная методика позволяет достаточно быстро и точно открывать планеты, близко расположенные к звездам, однако у нее есть и несколько минусов. К примеру, она не приспособлена для поисков очень небольших и далеких планет, совершающих один виток вокруг светила за несколько сотен лет, и она не позволяет точно определить массу открытых экзомиров.

По этой причине все самые интересные открытия TESS будут дополнительно изучены крупнейшими наземными телескопами, способными открывать планеты по сдвигам в спектре их звезд, и строящейся орбитальной обсерваторией "Джеймс Уэбб", которая заменит "Хаббл" в начале 2020 годов.

Сейчас TESS начал официальную работу в "обзорном" режиме, в рамках которого он проведет последующие два года, непрерывно наблюдая за различными крупными секторами ночного неба на протяжении примерно месяца. В общей сложности он покроет 85% от общей площади небесной сферы, и получит, как надеются ученые, достаточное количество данных для открытия первых полноценных двойников Земли и проведения почти полной "переписи" планет нашей Галактики.

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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185528.jpg)Ethan Kruse‏ @ethan_kruse (https://twitter.com/ethan_kruse) 18 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/ethan_kruse/status/1041854619620716547)

Here it is: the first @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) planet! A 6.3 day mini-Neptune around a 6th magnitude star that already had a known 6 year Jupiter-sized planet. Congrats to the team! Looking forward to several years of amazing discoveries even better than this! https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.05967  (https://t.co/veN6tp0Jub)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/170339.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 29 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1042496479108243456)

The @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) team is excited to announce the mission's first candidate planet -- a super-Earth around the bright star Pi Mensae, nearly 60 light-years away. The planet orbits every 6.3 days. The discovery is now being reviewed by other scientists to validate it. Stay tuned!

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 1 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1042773553777664000)

A second @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) candidate planet has been discovered! Slightly bigger than Earth, this planet orbits LHS 3844, a M dwarf star 49 light-years away, every 11 hours. This find is being reviewed by other scientists, and we're looking forward to studying this cool "hot Earth."

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 13 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1042810969095847947)

ARTICLE:
TESS in excellent health, finds 1st two exoplanet candidates during first science orbit -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/09/tess-excellent-health-1st-two-exoplanet-first-orbit/ ... (https://t.co/TbzqU4z3mK)

- By Chris Gebhardt (@ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF))

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/170092.jpg)

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/170093.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/170096.jpg)

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ЦитироватьНовый спутник НАСА за два дня обнаружил две похожие на Землю планеты
05:53 21.09.2018 (обновлено: 14:12 21.09.2018)

ВАШИНГТОН, 21 сен — РИА Новости. За два дня спутник TESS нашел две планеты, похожих на Землю. Об этом говорится в официальном канале Twitter, посвященном работе спутника НАСА.

Первую нашли 19 сентября. В сообщении ее назвали "супер-Землей". Она вращается вокруг звезды Пи Столовая гора в созвездии Столовая гора на расстоянии около 60 световых лет от Земли.

По данным НАСА, ее масса и радиус свидетельствуют о плотности, сопоставимой с плотностью воды, что говорит о возможном наличии там воды или газов.

Другую находку назвали "горячей Землей".

"Вторая планета-кандидат обнаружена! Немного больше, чем Земля, эта планета делает оборот вокруг LHS 3844, карликовой звезды класса М в 49 световых годах отсюда, каждые 11 часов", — отмечается в сообщении.

"Охотник за планетами"

Спойлер

Аппарат TESS в НАСА называют "охотником за планетами". Ожидается, что он станет "новым шагом в поиске небесных тел за пределами Солнечной системы, так называемых экзопланет".

Его запустили в апреле этого года. TESS будет исследовать около 200 тысяч звезд в районе Солнца. Ученые рассчитывают, что полученные аппаратом данные позволят уточнить и значительно увеличить число известных экзопланет и создадут основу для будущих исследований.

Новый аппарат около двух лет будет "сканировать" космическое пространство. Зонд, как и космический телескоп "Кеплер", будет смотреть на свечение звезд, фиксируя на их диске периодические затемнения, которые свидетельствуют о прохождении перед ними других космических тел. Он будет совершать виток по орбите каждые 13,7 дня, передача данных будет происходить во время его сближения с Землей. Хотя зонд не будет искать жизнь на других планетах, собранные им данные помогут определить планеты, на которых она потенциально возможна.

Как утверждают в НАСА, TESS будет вести наблюдения практически за всем небом, покрывая в 350 раз больше космического пространства, чем космический телескоп "Кеплер". В разработке миссии спутника и создании аппарата участвовали более десяти университетов и научно-исследовательских центров по всему миру.

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ЦитироватьSept. 21, 2018

Three NASA Missions Return 1st-Light Data

NASA's continued quest to explore our solar system and beyond received a boost of new information this week with three key missions proving not only that they are up and running, but that their science potential is exceptional. On Sept. 17, 2018, TESS (http://nasa.gov/tess) — the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite — shared its first science observations. Later in the week, the latest two missions to join NASA's heliophysics fleet returned first light data: Parker Solar Probe, (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-prepares-to-launch-parker-solar-probe-a-mission-to-touch-the-sun) humanity's first mission to "touch" the Sun, and GOLD (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-gold-mission-to-image-earth-s-interface-to-space), a mission that studies the dynamic boundary between Earth and space.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208707.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/tessflleadimageenlarged_print.jpg)
Download high-resolution versions of this and other TESS "first light" images from the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Credits: NASA/MIT/TESS
More TESS "first light" multimedia (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13069)

Part of the data from TESS's initial science orbit includes a detailed picture of the southern sky (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-s-tess-shares-first-science-image-in-hunt-to-find-new-worlds) taken with all four of the planet-hunter's wide-field cameras. The image captures a wealth of stars and other objects, including systems previously known to have exoplanets, planets beyond our solar system. TESS will spend the next two years monitoring the nearest, brightest stars for periodic dips in their brightness, known as transits. Such transits suggest a planet may be passing in front of its parent star. TESS is expected to find thousands of new planets using this method.
...
TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by Goddard. Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.
...
By Lina Tran (mailto:lina.tran@nasa.gov)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (http://nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md.

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Last Updated: Sept. 21, 2018
Editor: Rob Garner

ЦитироватьTESS Countdown to T-Zero: NASA's Next Planet-Hunter ver 3

NASAKennedy (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjJtr2fFcUp6yljzJOzpHUg)

Опубликовано: 24 сент. 2018 г.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is prepared for its planet-seeking mission and launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. TESS will survey the sky for exoplanets around nearby bright stars. The spacecraft lifted off April 18, 2018, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185701.png)NASA_TESS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) 4 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1047119497285398529)

The second @NASA_TESS (https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS) candidate exoplanet discovery orbits LHS 3844, an M dwarf star located 49 light years away. This exoplanet, a planet around a star other than our sun, orbits every 11 hours and is slightly larger than the Earth.
@NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA) @NASAGoddard (https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard) @TESSatMIT (https://twitter.com/TESSatMIT)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/170638.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg)Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust) 18 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1082405334474543114)

Even though NASA's TESS spacecraft is only about one-quarter the way through its primary mission, principal investigator George Ricker says they're already planning for an extended mission that would run from 2020 to 2022, with options for more. #AAS223 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AAS223?src=hash)

ЦитироватьTESS First Planet Locations

NASASolarSystem (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZZl9m3dGpm2teFlrImny-Q)

Опубликовано: 7 янв. 2019 г.

Zoom into the first sky sector observed by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and learn more about the new worlds it has discovered.
Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS

ЦитироватьTESS Supernovae Locations

NASASolarSystem (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZZl9m3dGpm2teFlrImny-Q)

Опубликовано: 7 янв. 2019 г.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) recorded more than 100 short-lived changes – most of them likely stellar outbursts of various types – in its first observing sector. Six of these events, highlighted in this movie, are supernovae – exploding stars – located in distant galaxies.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS

Цитировать

NASA's TESS Rounds Up its First Planets, Snares Far-flung Supernovae

By Francis Reddy
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/136712.jpg)

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has found three confirmed exoplanets in the data fr om the space telescope's four cameras.
Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS

January 7, 2019

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has found three confirmed exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, in its first three months of observations.

The mission's sensitive cameras also captured 100 short-lived changes — most of them likely stellar outbursts — in the same region of the sky. They include six supernova explosions whose brightening light was recorded by TESS even before the outbursts were discovered by ground-based telescopes.

The new discoveries show that TESS is delivering on its goal of discovering planets around nearby bright stars. Using ground-based telescopes, astronomers are now conducting follow-up observations on more than 280 TESS exoplanet candidates.

Спойлер

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFdpMes9C-c (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFdpMes9C-c)
Zoom into the first sky sector observed by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and learn more about the new worlds it has discovered. Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS

The first confirmed discovery (http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aaef91) is a world called Pi Mensae c about twice Earth's size. Every six days, the new planet orbits the star Pi Mensae, located about 60 light-years away and visible to the unaided eye in the southern constellation Mensa. The bright star Pi Mensae is similar to the Sun in mass and size.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/136709.gif)
 (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/internal_resources/details/original/1069_Pi_Mensae_c.gif)An artist's visualization of the exoplanet Pi Mensae c.

"This star was already known to host a planet, called Pi Mensae b, which is about 10 times the mass of Jupiter and follows a long and very eccentric orbit," said Chelsea Huang, a Juan Carlos Torres Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (http://space.mit.edu/) (MKI) in Cambridge. "In contrast, the new planet, called Pi Mensae c, has a circular orbit close to the star, and these orbital differences will prove key to understanding how this unusual system formed."

Next is LHS 3884b (https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.07242), a rocky planet about 1.3 times Earth's size located about 49 light-years away in the constellation Indus, making it among the closest transiting exoplanets known. The star is a cool M-type dwarf star about one-fifth the size of our Sun. Completing an orbit every 11 hours, the planet lies so close to its star that some of its rocky surface on the daytime side may form pools of molten lava

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/136708.gif)
 (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/internal_resources/details/original/1066_LHS_3884b.gif)An artist's visualization of the exoplanet LHS 3884b.

The third — and possibly fourth — planets orbit HD 21749, a K-type star about 80 percent the Sun's mass and located 53 light-years away in the southern constellation Reticulum.

The confirmed planet, HD 21749b, is about three times Earth's size and 23 times its mass, orbits every 36 days, and has a surface temperature around 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius). "This planet has a greater density than Neptune, but it isn't rocky. It could be a water planet or have some other type of substantial atmosphere," explained Diana Dragomir, a Hubble Fellow at MKI and lead author of a paper (https://arxiv.org/abs/1901.00051) describing the find. It is the longest-period transiting planet within 100 light-years of the solar system, and it has the coolest surface temperature of a transiting exoplanet around a star brighter than 10th magnitude, or about 25 times fainter than the limit of unaided human vision.

What's even more exciting are hints the system holds a second candidate planet about the size of Earth that orbits the star every eight days. If confirmed, it could be the smallest TESS planet to date.

TESS's four cameras, designed and built by MKI and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, spend nearly a month monitoring each observing sector, a single swath of the sky measuring 24 by 96 degrees. The primary aim is to look for exoplanet transits, which occur when a planet passes in front of its host star as viewed from TESS's perspective. This causes a regular dip in the measured brightness of the star that signals a planet's presence.

In its primary two-year mission, TESS will observe nearly the whole sky, providing a rich catalog of worlds around nearby stars. Their proximity to Earth will enable detailed characterization of the planets through follow-up observations from space- and ground-based telescopes.

But in its month-long stare into each sector, TESS records many additional phenomena, including comets (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-s-planet-hunting-tess-catches-a-comet-before-starting-science), asteroids, flare stars (https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasas-swift-mission-observes-mega-flares-from-a-mini-star), eclipsing binaries (https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/educators/hera_college/binary-model.html), white dwarf stars (https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs2.html) and supernovae, resulting in an astronomical treasure trove.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lW9NvWkDJs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lW9NvWkDJs)
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) recorded more than 100 short-lived changes – most of them likely stellar outbursts of various types – in its first observing sector. Six of these events, highlighted in this movie, are supernovae – exploding stars – located in distant galaxies. Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS

In the first TESS sector alone, observed between July 25 and Aug. 22, 2018, the mission caught dozens of short-lived, or transient, events, including images of six supernovae in distant galaxies that were later seen by ground-based telescopes.

"Some of the most interesting science occurs in the early days of a supernova, which has been very difficult to observe before TESS," said Michael Fausnaugh, a TESS researcher at MKI. "NASA's Kepler space telescope caught six of these events as they brightened during its first four years of operations. TESS found as many in its first month."

These early observations hold the key to understanding a class of supernovae that serve as an important yardstick for cosmological studies. Type Ia supernovae form through two channels. One involves the merger of two orbiting white dwarfs, compact remnants of stars like the Sun. The other occurs in systems wh ere a white dwarf draws gas from a normal star, gradually gaining mass until it becomes unstable and explodes. Astronomers don't know which scenario is more common, but TESS could detect modifications to the early light of the explosion caused by the presence of a stellar companion.

All science data from the first two TESS observation sectors were recently released to the scientific community through the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) (http://archive.stsci.edu/tess/) at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.

More than a million TESS images were downloaded from MAST in the first few days," said Thomas Barclay, a TESS researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. "The astronomical community's reaction to the early data release showed us that the world is ready to jump in and add to the mission's scientific bounty.

George Ricker, the mission's principal investigator at MKI, said that TESS's cameras and spacecraft were performing superbly. "We're only halfway through TESS's first year of operations, and the data floodgates are just beginning to open," he said. "When the full set of observations of more than 300 million stars and galaxies collected in the two-year prime mission are scrutinized by astronomers worldwide, TESS may well have discovered as many as 10,000 planets, in addition to hundreds of supernovae and other explosive stellar and extragalactic transients."

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

Media contact:

Elizabeth Landau

NASA Headquarters, Washington

elandau@jpl.nasa.gov (https://mail02.ndc.nasa.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=8Sf5sPQGh8CG19ubBncdTq2SE7X1n1kVGxrxHVNnLpj2HGQNgWfWCA..&URL=mailto%3aelandau%40jpl.nasa.gov)

(818) 359-3241

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ЦитироватьСпутник НАСА TESS нашел экзопланету, которая в 23 раза тяжелее Земли
01:02

МОСКВА, 9 янв — РИА Новости. Спутник НАСА TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), предназначенный для поиска похожих на Землю планет за пределами Солнечной системы, обнаружил третью экзопланету, сообщается на сайте НАСА.

Цитировать"Спутник TESS обнаружил три подтвержденные экзопланеты за пределами нашей Солнечной системы за первые три месяца наблюдений", — говорится в сообщении.

Обнаруженная планета HD 21749b в три раза больше Земли по размеру и в 23 раза тяжелее. Она вращается вокруг карликовой звезды HD 21749 класса K, которая находится в 53 световых годах от Земли в созвездии Сетка. Один оборот планета совершает за 36 суток. Температура на ее поверхности достигает 150 градусов по Цельсию.

"У этой планеты плотность больше, чем у Нептуна, но она не скалистая", — заявила исследователь Диана Драгомир.

Как сообщает издание Guardian, планета, скорее всего, относится к газовым.
Исследователи также заявляют о возможном обнаружении еще одной планеты, которая тоже вращается вокруг звезды HD 21749, делая один оборот за восемь дней. По размерам она примерно соответствует Земле. Если существование планеты удастся подтвердить, она станет самой маленькой, обнаруженной TESS.

Спойлер

Первую планету за пределами Солнечной системы TESS обнаружил 19 сентября. Это суперземля, которая вращается вокруг звезды Пи в созвездии Столовая гора на расстоянии около 60 световых лет от Земли. По данным НАСА, масса и радиус планеты свидетельствуют о плотности, сопоставимой с плотностью воды, что позволяет сделать вывод о возможном наличии там воды или газов. Это одна из двух известных планет этой системы.

Вторую планету, размерами чуть больше Земли, спутник обнаружил 21 сентября. Эта планета вращается вокруг LHS 3844, карликовой звезды класса М в 49 световых годах от Земли, совершая один оборот за 11 часов. Находка охарактеризована как "горячая Земля".

Аппарат TESS в НАСА называют "охотником за планетами" и надеются, что он станет новым шагом в поиске планет за пределами Солнечной системы. Его запустили в апреле 2018 года. Согласно задумке создателей, TESS исследует около 200 тысяч звезд в районе Солнца. Ученые рассчитывают, что полученные аппаратом данные позволят уточнить и значительно увеличить число известных экзопланет и создадут основу для будущих исследований.

TESS двигается по высокоэллиптической орбите и сканирует космическое пространство через камеры. Как и космический телескоп "Кеплер", он наблюдает за свечением звезд, фиксируя на их диске периодические затемнения, которые свидетельствуют о прохождении перед ними других космических тел. Виток по орбите зонд совершает каждые 13,7 дня, передача данных происходит во время его сближения с Землей. Хотя зонд не ищет жизнь на других планетах, собранные им данные помогут определить, где она потенциально возможна.

Как утверждают в НАСА, TESS ведет наблюдения практически за всем небом, покрывая в 350 раз больше космического пространства, чем "Кеплер". В разработке миссии и создании аппарата участвовали более десяти университетов и научно-исследовательских центров по всему миру.

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ЦитироватьGoing Interstellar with TESS and Kepler

NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 27 мар. 2019 г.

For the longest time, space seemed like just a big, nearly empty place. However, as we learned more about the universe around us, we discovered other planets orbiting our Sun, and even planets that orbit other stars trillions of miles away. In this video, discover how NASA has explored the space beyond Earth and our solar system with spacecraft like Voyagers 1 and 2, and how we've discovered thousands of planets outside of our solar system -- also called exoplanets -- with space telescopes like Kepler and TESS.

ЦитироватьApril 15, 2019

NASA's TESS Discovers its First Earth-size Planet

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208708.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/tessinspacerender1.jpg)
Illustration of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite:TESS.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered its first Earth-size world. The planet, HD 21749c, is about 89% Earth's diameter. It orbits HD 21749, a K-type star with about 70% of the Sun's mass located 53 light-years away in the southern constellation Reticulum, and is the second planet TESS has identified in the system (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1542/nasas-tess-rounds-up-its-first-planets-snares-far-flung-supernovae/). The new world is likely rocky and circles very close to its star, completing one orbit in just under eight days. The planet is likely very hot, with surface temperatures perhaps as high as 800 degrees F (427 degrees C).

This is the 10th confirmed planet discovered by TESS, and hundreds of additional candidates are now being studied.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Carnegie Institution for Science analyzed TESS transit data from the first four sectors of TESS observations to detect 11 periodic dips in the star's brightness. From this, they determined that the star's light was being partially blocked by a planet about the size of Earth.

The star that HD 21749c orbits is bright and relatively nearby, and therefore well suited to more detailed follow-up studies, which could provide critical information about the planet's properties, including potentially the first mass measurement of an Earth-size planet found by TESS.

For more information about this result: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ab12ed/meta

Media Contact: Claire Andreoli (mailto:claire.andreoli@nasa.gov?subject=RE%20TESS%201st%20Earth%20Sized%20Exoplanet)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (http://www.nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md.

Last Updated: April 15, 2019
Editor: Rob Garner

Цитировать16 АПР, 18:13
Телескоп TESS обнаружил экзопланету, сопоставимую по размерам с Землей

Эта планета получила название HD 21749c. Она вращается вокруг звезды, которая находится в созвездии Сетки на расстоянии 53 световых лет от Земли

ВАШИНГТОН, 16 апреля. /ТАСС/. Американский орбитальный телескоп TESS, приступивший к исследованиям в июле 2018 года, обнаружил экопланету, сопоставимую по размерам с Землей. Об этом сообщило во вторник интернет-издание Space.com со ссылкой на заявление группы ученых из Массачусетского технологического института (МТИ) и вашингтонского Института Карнеги, которые занимаются реализацией данного проекта.

Планета, получившая название HD 21749c, вращается вокруг звезды, которая находится в созвездии Сетки на расстоянии 53 световых лет от Земли. Она делает один оборот за 7,8 земного дня, и, как считают астрономы, вряд ли на ней возможно существование жизни, поскольку температура на ее поверхности достигает 430 градусов по Цельсию.

Тем не менее, TESS, сделав это открытие, доказал способность находить и пригодные для жизни планеты, указала астроном из МТИ Дайана Драгомир. "Мы ожидаем, что TESS сумеет обнаружить еще пару дюжин других планет размером с Землю, которые потенциально могут быть обитаемыми", - добавила она.

"Нам предстоит еще определить массу и строение HD 21749c, что будет непростой задачей", - заметила, в свою очередь, соавтор исследования Шэрон Ванг, представляющая Институт Карнеги.

Большие надежды

Спойлер

Для вывода телескопа в космос 18 апреля 2018 года с космодрома на мысе Канаверал была использована разработанная компанией SpaceX ракета-носитель Falcon 9. TESS находится на эллиптической орбите, позволяющей совершать оборот вокруг Земли каждые 13,7 дня. Высота в перигее составляет 108 тыс. км, в апогее - 373 тыс. км. Ожидается, что миссия аппарата, создание которого обошлось примерно в $340 млн, продлится по меньшей мере два года.

Как отметил накануне запуска ракеты с телескопом представитель американского космического ведомства NASA Стивен Райнхарт, TESS "открывает дверь для исследований на совершенно другом уровне". "Мы сможем изучать отдельные планеты и обсуждать различия между ними. Это новая эра в исследовании экзопланет", - подчеркнул он.

Основные цели TESS - звезды и их системы, находящиеся на расстоянии до 300 световых лет от Земли. Предполагается, что обсерватория, оснащенная четырьмя широкоугольными камерами, изучит более 200 тыс. звезд с задачей выявить на их ярком фоне крохотные пятна, которые могут оказаться экзопланетами. Ими в дальнейшем более углубленно будут заниматься уже другие телескопы, в частности, James Webb с диаметром зеркала 6,5 м, запуск которого в космос планируется на 30 марта 2021 года.

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Количество экзопланет

Спойлер

Основываясь на информации, полученной с помощью обсерватории Hubble, выведенной на орбиту в апреле 1990 года, и других телескопов, эксперты NASA высказывают предположение, что только в галактике Млечный путь, в которой расположена наша Солнечная система, имеется по меньшей мере 11 млрд планет, сопоставимых по размеру с Землей.

С 1995 года было подтверждено существование примерно 4 тыс. экзопланет, на которых потенциально возможна жизнь, и насчитывается еще около 4 тыс. "кандидатов".

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ЦитироватьTESS Discovers Its Tiniest World To Date

NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 27 июн. 2019 г.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered a world between the sizes of Mars and Earth orbiting a bright, cool, nearby star. The planet, called L 98-59b, marks the smallest found by TESS yet.

Спойлер

Two other worlds orbit the same star. While all three planets' sizes are known, further study with other telescopes will be needed to determine if they have atmospheres and, if so, which gases are present. The L 98-59 worlds nearly double the number of small exoplanets -- that is, planets beyond our solar system -- that have the best potential for this kind of follow-up.

L 98-59b is around 80 Earth's size and about 10 smaller than the previous record holder discovered by TESS. Its host star, L 98-59, is an M dwarf about one-third the mass of the Sun and lies about 35 light-years away in the southern constellation Volans. While L 98-59b is a record for TESS, even smaller planets have been discovered in data collected by NASA's Kepler satellite, including Kepler-37b, which is only 20 larger than the Moon.

The two other worlds in the system, L 98-59c and L 98-59d, are respectively around 1.4 and 1.6 times Earth's size. All three were discovered by TESS using transits, periodic dips in the star's brightness caused when each planet passes in front of it.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (USRA): producer and lead animator
- Jeanette Kazmierczak (UMCP): Science Writer

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ЦитироватьHighlights From TESS's First Year

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220606.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 25 июл. 2019 г.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered 21 planets outside our solar system and captured data on other interesting events occurring in the southern sky during its first year of science. TESS has now turned its attention to the northern hemisphere to complete the most comprehensive planet-hunting expedition ever undertaken.

TESS began hunting for exoplanets (or worlds orbiting distant stars) in the southern sky in July of 2018, while also collecting data on supernovae, black holes and other phenomena in its line of sight. Along with the planets TESS has discovered, the mission has identified over 800 candidate exoplanets that are waiting for confirmation by ground-based telescopes.

To search for exoplanets, TESS uses four large cameras to watch a 24-by-96-degree section of the sky for 27 days at a time. Some of these sections overlap, so some parts of the sky are observed for almost a year. TESS is concentrating on stars closer than 300 light-years from our solar system, watching for transits, which are periodic dips in brightness caused by an object, like a planet, passing in front of the star.

On July 18, the southern portion of the survey was completed and the spacecraft turned its cameras to the north. When it completes the northern section in 2020, TESS will have mapped over three quarters of the sky.

ЦитироватьАстрономы НАСА открыли три планеты у соседней звезды
18:10

МОСКВА, 29 июл – РИА Новости. Орбитальная обсерватория TESS открыла сразу три планеты, наблюдая за яркой, но небольшой звездой в созвездии Золотой Рыбы, удаленной от нас на 73 световых года. На спутниках одного из этих миров может существовать жизнь, пишут ученые в журнале Nature Astronomy (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-019-0845-5).

Цитировать"Звезда TOI-270 отличается очень спокойным характером. Это заметно упрощает последующие поиски возможных следов жизни на ее планетах и их спутниках. Вдобавок, все эти миры синхронизированы друг с другом, что упростит поиски других, более землеподобных планет, если они есть в этой системе", — заявил Максимилиан Гюнтер (Maximillian Guenther) из Массачусетского технологического института (США).

Телескоп TESS был запущен в апреле прошлого года в качестве замены для его знаменитого предшественника, орбитальной обсерватории "Кеплер", открывшей тысячи экзопланет за восемь лет работы. Запасы топлива на его борту сейчас подходят к концу, и ученые ожидают, что он окончательно прекратит наблюдения в самое ближайшее время.

В отличие от него, TESS будет следить не за одним участком неба, как это делал "Кеплер" в первые четыре года работы на орбите, а за разными уголками космоса, где находятся интересные ученым звезды и планеты.

Еще одним новшеством станет то, что TESS будет следить не за солнцеподобными, а за более яркими звездами, о планетах которых астрономы сегодня практически ничего не знают. Их "перепись", как надеются ученые, покажет, как часто могут формироваться аналоги Земли у более крупных и ярких светил, и насколько вероятно зарождение жизни на их поверхности.

Первое подобное открытие, как отмечают Гюнтер и его коллеги, TESS совершил, наблюдая за светилами в созвездии Золотой Рыбы, которые он изучал в первые месяцы после начала его научной карьеры.

Внимание планетологов привлекла небольшая звезда TOI-270, красный карлик среднего возраста, чья масса примерно в два раза меньше, чем у Солнца. Небольшое расстояние до этого светила, а также его невероятно спокойный характер, помогли TESS "напрямую" открыть сразу три планеты в его окрестностях и точно измерить их свойства.

Все эти миры не похожи на планеты Солнечной системы – они одновременно больше Земли и ее ближайших соседок, но при этом меньше Юпитера, Нептуна и других газовых гигантов. Ближняя к звезде планета, чья масса примерно в два раза больше, чем у нашего мира, относится к числу так называемых "суперземель", а два ее более крупных соседа – к экзотическим "суб-Нептунам".

Так ученые называют достаточно крупные планеты, которые вряд ли могут обладать каменистой поверхностью, но которые при этом заметно уступают "настоящим" газовым гигантам в размерах. Часть исследователей предполагает, что некоторые из них могут представлять причудливые "водные миры", почти полностью состоящие из воды. Планеты TOI-270c и TOI-270d примерно в шесть и пять раз тяжелее Земли, что делает это крайне маловероятным.

Все эти планеты, как отмечают ученые, пока остаются самыми небольшими и близкими к Земле мирами, за которыми можно наблюдать "напрямую", отслеживая то, как они проходят по диску светила. Это позволит ученым очень точно изучить состав их атмосферы, если она существует, а также оценить их пригодность для жизни.

С другой стороны, уже сейчас можно сказать, что все три планеты вряд ли могут быть обитаемыми. Суперземля TOI-270b расположена слишком близко к светилу, из-за чего на ее поверхности царит настоящий ад со средними температурами, превышающими 250 градусов Цельсия.

Две других планеты, скорее всего, обладают слишком густой атмосферой, чтобы в ее верхних слоях могла зародиться жизнь, а температуры на втором мире, TOI-270c, тоже очень высокие – они превышают 150 градусов Цельсия. При определенных условиях, жизнь может скрываться на лунах последнего "суб-Нептуна", где будут царить почти земные температуры.

С другой стороны, если на этих мирах существует жизнь, вероятность ее выживания заметно выше, чем на других кандидатах на роль прибежища инопланетной жизни. Число пятен на поверхности TOI-270, а также уровень ее магнитной активности, как показали замеры TESS, пока остаются на рекордно низком уровне. Это уменьшает вероятность того, что вспышки или корональные выбросы могли уничтожить местную флору и фауну.

Как надеются ученые, первые ответы на подобные вопросы они получат уже в ближайшие годы, когда на орбиту будет выведен телескоп JWST, "наследник" Хаббла. Он будет обладать достаточно высоким разрешением для того, чтобы получить фотографии этих миров и попытаться найти следы жизни в их атмосферах, заключают ученые.

ЦитироватьTESS Helps Reveal Multiple Planets, Including Promising World

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220606.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

Опубликовано: 31 июл. 2019 г.

Tour the GJ 357 system, located 31 light-years away in the constellation Hydra. Astronomers confirming a planet candidate identified by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite subsequently found two additional worlds orbiting the star. The outermost planet, GJ 357 d, is especially intriguing to scientists because it receives as much energy from its star as Mars does from the Sun.

ЦитироватьJuly 31, 2019

Confirmation of Toasty TESS Planet Leads to Surprising Find of Promising World

A piping hot planet discovered by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) (https://www.nasa.gov/tess-transiting-exoplanet-survey-satellite) has pointed the way to additional worlds orbiting the same star, one of which is located in the star's habitable zone (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/what-is-an-exoplanet/how-do-we-find-habitable-planets/). If made of rock, this planet may be around twice Earth's size.

The new worlds orbit a star named GJ 357, an M-type dwarf about one-third the Sun's mass and size and about 40% cooler that our star. The system is located 31 light-years away in the constellation Hydra. In February, TESS cameras caught the star dimming slightly every 3.9 days, revealing the presence of a transiting (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/ways-to-find-a-planet/#/2) exoplanet — a world beyond our solar system — that passes across the face of its star during every orbit and briefly dims the star's light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bWra2Wvudk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bWra2Wvudk)
Tour the GJ 357 system, located 31 light-years away in the constellation Hydra. Astronomers confirming a planet candidate identified by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite subsequently found two additional worlds orbiting the star. The outermost planet, GJ 357 d, is especially intriguing to scientists because it receives as much energy fr om its star as Mars does fr om the Sun.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Download this video and related multimedia in HD formats fr om NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio (http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13266)

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"In a way, these planets were hiding in measurements made at numerous observatories over many years," said Rafael Luque, a doctoral student at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (http://www.iac.es/index.php?lang=en) (IAC) on Tenerife who led the discovery team. "It took TESS to point us to an interesting star wh ere we could uncover them."

The transits TESS observed belong to GJ 357 b, a planet about 22% larger than Earth. It orbits 11 times closer to its star than Mercury does our Sun. This gives it an equilibrium temperature — calculated without accounting for the additional warming effects of a possible atmosphere — of around 490 degrees Fahrenheit (254 degrees Celsius).

"We describe GJ 357 b as a 'hot Earth,'" explains co-author Enric Pallé, an astrophysicist at the IAC and Luque's doctoral supervisor. "Although it cannot host life, it is noteworthy as the third-nearest transiting exoplanet known to date and one of the best rocky planets we have for measuring the composition of any atmosphere it may possess."

But while researchers were looking at ground-based data to confirm the existence of the hot Earth, they uncovered two additional worlds. The farthest-known planet, named GJ 357 d, is especially intriguing.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207738.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/gj357_whole_system_english_lq_thm_0.jpg)
This diagram shows the layout of the GJ 357 system. Planet d orbits within the star's so-called habitable zone, the orbital region wh ere liquid water can exist on a rocky planet's surface. If it has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, GJ 357 d could be warm enough to permit the presence of liquid water.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith

"GJ 357 d is located within the outer edge of its star's habitable zone, wh ere it receives about the same amount of stellar energy from its star as Mars does from the Sun," said co-author Diana Kossakowski at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. "If the planet has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, it could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface."

Without an atmosphere, it has an equilibrium temperature of -64 F (-53 C), which would make the planet seem more glacial than habitable. The planet weighs at least 6.1 times Earth's mass, and orbits the star every 55.7 days at a range about 20% of Earth's distance from the Sun. The planet's size and composition are unknown, but a rocky world with this mass would range from about one to two times Earth's size.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207737.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/gj357_d_360_thm.jpg)
This illustration shows one interpretation of what GJ 357 d may be like.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith

Even through TESS monitored the star for about a month, Luque's team predicts any transit would have occurred outside the TESS observing window.

GJ 357 c, the middle planet, has a mass at least 3.4 times Earth's, orbits the star every 9.1 days at a distance a bit more than twice that of the transiting planet, and has an equilibrium temperature around 260 F (127 C). TESS did not observe transits from this planet, which suggests its orbit is slightly tilted — perhaps by less than 1 degree — relative to the hot Earth's orbit, so it never passes across the star from our perspective.

To confirm the presence of GJ 357 b and discover its neighbors, Luque and his colleagues turned to existing ground-based measurements of the star's radial velocity (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/ways-to-find-a-planet/#/1), or the speed of its motion along our line of sight. An orbiting planet produces a gravitational tug on its star, which results in a small reflex motion that astronomers can detect through tiny color changes in the starlight. Astronomers have searched for planets around bright stars using radial velocity data for decades, and they often make these lengthy, precise observations publicly available for use by other astronomers.

Luque's team examined ground-based data stretching back to 1998 from the European Southern Observatory and the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, and the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain, among many others.

A paper describing the findings was published on Wednesday, July 31, in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics and is available online (https://www.aanda.org/component/article?access=doi&doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201935801).

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

By Francis Reddy (mailto:francis.j.reddy@nasa.gov?subject=RE%20TESS%20GJ%20357)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (https://www.nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md. 

Last Updated: July 31, 2019
Editor: Rob Garner

ЦитироватьTESS Catches its First Star-destroying Black Hole

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220606.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

25 сент. 2019 г.

For the first time, NASA's planet-hunting Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) watched a black hole tear apart a star from start to finish, a cataclysmic phenomenon called a tidal disruption event.

The blast, named ASASSN-19bt, was found on Jan. 29 by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN), a worldwide network of 20 robotic telescopes. Shortly after the discovery, ASAS-SN requested follow-up observations by NASA's Swift satellite, ESA's (European Space Agency's) XMM-Newton and ground-based 1-meter telescopes in the global Las Cumbres Observatory network.

The disruption occurred in TESS's continuous viewing zone, which is always in sight of one of the satellite's four cameras. This allowed astronomers to view the explosion from beginning to end.

This video shows images of a tidal disruption event called ASASSN-19bt taken by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and Swift missions, along with an animation illustrating how it unfolded. Because ASASSN-19bt occurred in the TESS continuous viewing zone, the satellite observed the full duration of the event.

ЦитироватьDive Into TESS's Southern Sky Panorama

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220606.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

5 нояб. 2019 г.

The glow of the Milky Way -- our galaxy seen edgewise -- arcs across a sea of stars in a new mosaic of the southern sky produced from a year of observations by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Constructed from 208 TESS images taken during the mission's first year of science operations, completed on July 18, the southern panorama reveals both the beauty of the cosmic landscape and the reach of TESS's cameras.

Within this scene, TESS has discovered 29 exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, and more than 1,000 candidate planets astronomers are now investigating.

TESS divided the southern sky into 13 sectors and imaged each one of them for nearly a month using four cameras, which carry a total of 16 charge-coupled devices (CCDs). Remarkably, the TESS cameras capture a full sector of the sky every 30 minutes as part of its search for exoplanet transits. Transits occur when a planet passes in front of its host star from our perspective, briefly and regularly dimming its light. During the satellite's first year of operations, each of its CCDs captured 15,347 30-minute science images. These images are just a part of more than 20 terabytes of southern sky data TESS has returned, comparable to streaming nearly 6,000 high-definition movies.

In addition to its planet discoveries, TESS has imaged a comet in our solar system, followed the progress of numerous stellar explosions called supernovae, and even caught the flare from a star ripped apart by a supermassive black hole. After completing its southern survey, TESS turned north to begin a year-long study of the northern sky.

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ЦитироватьTESS Mission's First Earth-size World in Star's Habitable-zone

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220606.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

6 янв. 2020 г.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208796.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/toi_700_system_habzone_banner4.jpg)

Jan. 7, 2020

NASA Planet Hunter Finds its 1st Earth-size Habitable-zone World

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) (https://www.nasa.gov/tess-transiting-exoplanet-survey-satellite) has discovered its first Earth-size planet in its star's habitable zone, the range of distances where conditions may be just right to allow the presence of liquid water on the surface. Scientists confirmed the find, called TOI 700 d, using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/main/index.html) and have modeled the planet's potential environments to help inform future observations.

TOI 700 d is one of only a few Earth-size planets discovered in a star's habitable zone so far. Others include several planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1487/10-things-all-about-trappist-1/) and other worlds discovered by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/main/index.html).

"TESS was designed and launched specifically to find Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby stars," said Paul Hertz, astrophysics division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Planets around nearby stars are easiest to follow-up with larger telescopes in space and on Earth. Discovering TOI 700 d is a key science finding for TESS. Confirming the planet's size and habitable zone status with Spitzer is another win for Spitzer as it approaches the end of science operations this January."

TESS monitors large swaths of the sky, called sectors, for 27 days at a time. This long stare allows the satellite to track changes in stellar brightness caused by an orbiting planet crossing in front of its star fr om our perspective, an event called a transit.

TOI 700 is a small, cool M dwarf star located just over 100 light-years away in the southern constellation Dorado (https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/). It's roughly 40% of the Sun's mass and size and about half its surface temperature. The star appears in 11 of the 13 sectors TESS observed during the mission's first year, and scientists caught multiple transits by its three planets.

The star was originally misclassified in the TESS database as being more similar to our Sun, which meant the planets appeared larger and hotter than they really are. Several researchers, including Alton Spencer, a high school student working with members of the TESS team, identified the error.

"When we corrected the star's parameters, the sizes of its planets dropped, and we realized the outermost one was about the size of Earth and in the habitable zone," said Emily Gilbert, a graduate student at the University of Chicago (https://www.uchicago.edu/). "Additionally, in 11 months of data we saw no flares from the star, which improves the chances TOI 700 d is habitable and makes it easier to model its atmospheric and surface conditions."

Gilbert and other researchers presented the findings at the 235th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (https://aas.org/meetings/aas235) in Honolulu, and three papers — one of which Gilbert led — have been submitted to scientific journals.

The innermost planet, called TOI 700 b, is almost exactly Earth-size, is probably rocky and completes an orbit every 10 days. The middle planet, TOI 700 c, is 2.6 times larger than Earth — between the sizes of Earth and Neptune — orbits every 16 days and is likely a gas-dominated world. TOI 700 d, the outermost known planet in the system and the only one in the habitable zone, measures 20% larger than Earth, orbits every 37 days and receives from its star 86% of the energy that the Sun provides to Earth. All of the planets are thought to be tidally locked to their star, which means they rotate once per orbit so that one side is constantly bathed in daylight.

A team of scientists led by Joseph Rodriguez, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, requested follow-up observations with Spitzer to confirm TOI 700 d.

"Given the impact of this discovery — that it is TESS's first habitable-zone Earth-size planet — we really wanted our understanding of this system to be as concrete as possible," Rodriguez said. "Spitzer saw TOI 700 d transit exactly when we expected it to. It's a great addition to the legacy of a mission that helped confirm two of the TRAPPIST-1 planets and identify five more."

The Spitzer data increased scientists' confidence that TOI 700 d is a real planet and sharpened their measurements of its orbital period by 56% and its size by 38%. It also ruled out other possible astrophysical causes of the transit signal, such as the presence of a smaller, dimmer companion star in the system.

Rodriguez and his colleagues also used follow-up observations from a 1-meter ground-based telescope in the global Las Cumbres Observatory (https://lco.global/) network to improve scientists' confidence in the orbital period and size of TOI 700 c by 30% and 36%, respectively.

Because TOI 700 is bright, nearby, and shows no sign of stellar flares, the system is a prime candidate for precise mass measurements by current ground-based observatories. These measurements could confirm scientists' estimates that the inner and outer planets are rocky and the middle planet is made of gas.

Future missions may be able to identify whether the planets have atmospheres and, if so, even determine their compositions.

While the exact conditions on TOI 700 d are unknown, scientists can use current information, like the planet's size and the type of star it orbits, to generate computer models and make predictions. Researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, modeled 20 potential environments of TOI 700 d to gauge if any version would result in surface temperatures and pressures suitable for habitability.

Their 3D climate models examined a variety of surface types and atmospheric compositions typically associated with what scientists regard to be potentially habitable worlds. Because TOI 700 d is tidally locked to its star, the planet's cloud formations and wind patterns may be strikingly different from Earth's.

One simulation included an ocean-covered TOI 700 d with a dense, carbon-dioxide-dominated atmosphere similar to what scientists suspect surrounded Mars when it was young. The model atmosphere contains a deep layer of clouds on the star-facing side. Another model depicts TOI 700 d as a cloudless, all-land version of modern Earth, wh ere winds flow away from the night side of the planet and converge on the point directly facing the star.

When starlight passes through a planet's atmosphere, it interacts with molecules like carbon dioxide and nitrogen to produce distinct signals, called spectral lines. The modeling team, led by Gabrielle Engelmann-Suissa, a Universities Space Research Association (https://www.usra.edu/) visiting research assistant at Goddard, produced simulated spectra for the 20 modeled versions of TOI 700 d.

"Someday, when we have real spectra from TOI 700 d, we can backtrack, match them to the closest simulated spectrum, and then match that to a model," Engelmann-Suissa said. "It's exciting because no matter what we find out about the planet, it's going to look completely different from what we have here on Earth."

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech in Pasadena. Space operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at IPAC at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

The modeling work was funded through the Sellers Exoplanet Environments Collaboration at Goddard, a multidisciplinary collaboration that brings together experts to build comprehensive and sophisticated computer models to better analyze current and future exoplanet observations.

Banner image: The three planets of the TOI 700 system orbit a small, cool M dwarf star. TOI 700 d is the first Earth-size habitable-zone world discovered by TESS. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

By Jeanette Kazmierczak (mailto:jeanette.a.kazmierczak@nasa.gov?subject=TESS%20finds%20its%20first%20habitable%20zone%20exoplanet)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (https://www.nasa.gov/goddard), Greenbelt, Md.​

Last Updated: Jan. 7, 2020
Editor: Rob Garner

Цитировать7 ЯНВ, 15:14
Телескоп TESS впервые открыл землеподобную планету у далекой звезды
Планета удалена от Земли на 100 световых лет

ТАСС, 7 января. Американская орбитальная обсерватория TESS при наблюдении за небольшой звездой в созвездии Золотой Рыбки открыла землеподобную планету, потенциально пригодную для жизни, планета удалена от Земли на 100 световых лет. Это первое подобное открытие в истории данного телескопа, сообщила во вторник пресс-служба Центра космических полетов NASA (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-planet-hunter-finds-its-1st-earth-size-habitable-zone-world) имени Роберта Годдарда (GSFC).

"Обсерватория TESS была запущена в том числе и для поиска землеподобных планет, вращающихся вокруг близлежащих звезд. Поэтому открытие планеты TOI 700d стало одним из важнейших достижений как для этого аппарата, так и для обсерватории "Спитцер", подтвердившей то, что этот мир находится в зоне жизни", - заявил глава астрофизического подразделения NASA Пол Герц (Paul Hertz), чьи слова приводит пресс-служба GSFC.

Как отмечают исследователи, планета TOI 700d в целом похожа на другие землеподобные миры, открытые в последние годы. В частности, она вращается вокруг красного карлика, чьи масса и размеры примерно в два раза меньше, чем у Солнца. За 11 месяцев наблюдений астрономы не зафиксировали ни одной вспышки на поверхности этой звезды, что характерно для других звезд, у которых были найдены похожие миры. Это значительно повышает вероятность существования жизни на ее поверхности.

Помимо TOI 700d, в этой звездной системе присутствуют еще планеты TOI 700b и TOI 700c, чьи орбиты находятся далеко за пределами зоны жизни. Первый мир, обладающий почти земными размерами, находится слишком близко к звезде, а вторая представляет собой небольшой газовый гигант из числа так называемых горячих нептунов.

Как предполагают ученые, по своему климату и условиям на поверхности планета TOI 700d больше напоминает ранний Марс, чем Землю. Ее атмосфера, как показывает предварительный анализ спектра, должна почти полностью состоять из углекислоты, а поверхность этого двойника Земли получает чуть меньше энергии от светила (86%), чем Земля.

Главным препятствием для существования жизни на ее поверхности, по мнению ученых NASA, может быть то, что эта планета всегда "смотрит" одной и той же стороной на звезду. Это может резко повысить температуру на ее освещаемой стороне, а также непредсказуемым образом повлиять на характер движения ветров в атмосфере. Планетологи надеются, что дальнейшие наблюдения за TOI 700d помогут им понять, как эта особенность может влиять на обитаемость подобных миров.

ЦитироватьTESS Satellite Discovered Its 1st World Orbiting 2 Stars

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220606.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

6 янв. 2020 г.

Researchers working with data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have discovered the mission's first circumbinary planet, a world orbiting two stars. The planet, called TOI 1338b, is around 6.9 times larger than Earth, or between the sizes of Neptune and Saturn. It lies in a system 1,300 light-years away in the constellation Pictor.

The stars in the system make an eclipsing binary, which occurs when the stellar companions circle each other in our plane of view. One is about 10% more massive than our Sun, while the other is cooler, dimmer and only one-third the Sun's mass.

TOI 1338b's transits are irregular, between every 93 and 95 days, and vary in depth and duration thanks to the orbital motion of its stars. TESS only sees the transits crossing the larger star — the transits of the smaller star are too faint to detect. Although the planet transits irregularly, its orbit is stable for at least the next 10 million years. The orbit's angle to us, however, changes enough that the planet transit will cease after November 2023 and resume eight years later.

ЦитироватьTESS Shows Ancient North Star Has Eclipses

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220544.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAgovVideo)  NASA Video (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_aP7p621ATY_yAa8jMqUVA)

6 янв. 2020 г.

Astronomers using data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have shown that Alpha Draconis, a well-studied star visible to the naked eye, and its fainter companion star regularly eclipse each other. While astronomers previously knew this was a binary system, the mutual eclipses came as a complete surprise.

ЦитироватьNASA's TESS Delivers New Insights Into an Ultrahot World

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220453.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

30 июн. 2020 г.

Measurements from NASAs Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have enabled astronomers to greatly improve their understanding of the bizarre environment of KELT-9 b, one of the hottest planets known. 

Спойлер

Located about 670 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, KELT-9 b was discovered in 2017 because the planet passed in front of its star for a part of each orbit, an event called a transit. Transits regularly dim the stars light by a small but detectable amount.
 
Between July 18 and Sept. 11, 2019, as part of the mission's yearlong campaign to observe the northern sky, TESS observed 27 transits of KELT-9 b, and these observations allowed the team to model the systems unusual star and its impact on the planet.
 
KELT-9 b is a gas giant world about 1.8 times bigger than Jupiter, with 2.9 times its mass. Tidal forces have locked its rotation so the same side always faces its star. The planet swings around its star in just 36 hours on an orbit that carries it almost directly above both of the star's poles. 
 
The close orbit means the planet's dayside temperature is around 7,800 degrees Fahrenheit (4,300 C), hotter than the surfaces of some stars. This intense heating also causes the planets atmosphere to stream away into space.
 
Its odd host star is about twice the size of the Sun and averages about 56 percent hotter. But it spins 38 times faster than the Sun, completing a full rotation in just 16 hours. Its rapid spin distorts the stars shape, flattening it at the poles and widening its midsection. This causes the stars poles to heat up and brighten while its equatorial region cools and dims, a phenomenon called gravity darkening. The result is a temperature difference across the stars surface of almost 1,500 F (800 C).
 
With each orbit, KELT-9 b twice experiences the full range of stellar temperatures, producing what amounts to a peculiar seasonal sequence. The planet experiences summer when it swings over each hot pole and winter when it passes over the stars cooler midsection. So KELT-9 b experiences two summers and two winters every year, with each season about nine hours.
 
KELT-9 b begins its transit near the star's bright poles, and then blocks less and less light as it travels over the star's dimmer equator. This asymmetry provides clues to the temperature and brightness changes across the stars surface, and they permitted the team to reconstruct the stars out-of-round shape, how its oriented in space, its range of surface temperatures, and other factors impacting the planet.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьTESS Completes its Primary Mission

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220453.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

11 авг. 2020 г.

On July 4, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) completed its primary mission, a two-year-long survey that imaged about 75% of the starry sky. In capturing this giant mosaic, TESS has found 66 new exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, as well as nearly 2,100 candidates astronomers are working to confirm.

Спойлер

TESS monitors 24-by-96-degree strips of the sky, called sectors, for about a month using its four cameras. The mission spent its first year observing 13 sectors comprising the southern sky and then spent another year imaging the northern sky.

Now in its extended mission, TESS has turned around to resume surveying the south. In addition, the TESS team has introduced improvements to the way the satellite collects and processes data. Its cameras now capture a full image every 10 minutes, or three times faster than during the primary mission. The faster measurements will allow TESS to better resolve brightness changes caused by stellar oscillations and to capture explosive flares from active stars in greater detail.

These changes will remain in place for the duration of the extended mission, which will be completed in September 2022. After spending a year imaging the southern sky, TESS will take another 15 months to collect additional observations in the north and to survey areas along the ecliptic &ndash; the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun &ndash; that have not yet been imaged by TESS.

TESS looks for transits, the telltale dimming of a star caused when an orbiting planet passes in front of it from our point of view. During its primary mission, TESS also  observed the outburst of a comet in our solar system, as well as numerous exploding stars, and even watched as a black hole in a distant galaxy shredded a Sun-like star.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьAug. 11, 2020

NASA's Planet Hunter Completes Its Primary Mission

On July 4, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) finished its primary mission, imaging about 75% of the starry sky as part of a two-year-long survey. In capturing this giant mosaic, TESS has found 66 new exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, as well as nearly 2,100 candidates astronomers are working to confirm. 

"TESS is producing a torrent of high-quality observations providing valuable data across a wide range of science topics," said Patricia Boyd, the project scientist for TESS at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "As it enters its extended mission, TESS is already a roaring success."

youtu.be/uOxuTLPAlzI
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has completed its two-year primary mission and is continuing its search for new worlds. Watch to review some of TESS's most interesting discoveries so far.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Download high-resolution video and images from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13663)

TESS monitors 24-by-96-degree strips of the sky called sectors for about a month using its four cameras. The mission spent its first year observing 13 sectors comprising the southern sky (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasa-s-tess-presents-panorama-of-southern-sky) and then spent another year imaging the northern sky.

Now in its extended mission, TESS has turned around to resume surveying the south. In addition, the TESS team has introduced improvements to the way the satellite collects and processes data. Its cameras now capture a full image every 10 minutes, three times faster than during the primary mission. A new fast mode allows the brightness of thousands of stars to be measured every 20 seconds, along with the previous method of collecting these observations from tens of thousands of stars every two minutes. The faster measurements will allow TESS to better resolve brightness changes caused by stellar oscillations and to capture explosive flares from active stars in greater detail.

These changes will remain in place for the duration of the extended mission, which will be completed in September 2022. After spending a year imaging the southern sky, TESS will take another 15 months to collect additional observations in the north and to survey areas along the ecliptic – the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun – that the satellite has not yet imaged.

TESS looks for transits, the telltale dimming of a star caused when an orbiting planet passes in front of it from our point of view. Among the mission's newest planetary discoveries are its first Earth-size world, named TOI 700 d (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-planet-hunter-finds-its-1st-earth-size-habitable-zone-world), which is located in the habitable zone of its star, the range of distances where conditions could be just right to allow liquid water on the surface. TESS revealed a newly minted planet (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-s-tess-spitzer-missions-discover-a-world-orbiting-a-unique-young-star) around the young star AU Microscopii and found a Neptune-size world orbiting two suns (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-s-tess-mission-uncovers-its-1st-world-with-two-stars).

In addition to its planetary discoveries, TESS has observed the outburst of a comet in our solar system (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasa-s-exoplanet-hunting-mission-catches-a-natural-comet-outburst-in-unprecedented-detail), as well as numerous exploding stars (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1542/nasas-tess-rounds-up-its-first-planets-snares-far-flung-supernovae/). The satellite discovered surprise eclipses in a well-known binary star system (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/surprise-tess-shows-ancient-north-star-undergoes-eclipses/), solved a mystery about a class of pulsating stars (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-s-tess-enables-breakthrough-study-of-perplexing-stellar-pulsations), and explored a world experiencing star-modulated seasons (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-s-tess-delivers-new-insights-into-an-ultrahot-world/). Even more remarkable, TESS watched as a black hole in a distant galaxy shredded a Sun-like star (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasa-s-tess-mission-spots-its-1st-star-shredding-black-hole). 

Missions like TESS help contribute to the field of astrobiology, the interdisciplinary research on the variables and conditions of distant worlds that could harbor life as we know it, and what form that life could take.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes, and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

Last Updated: Aug. 11, 2020
Editor: Francis Reddy

Цитировать11 АВГ, 19:53
Орбитальная обсерватория TESS успешно завершила основную миссию
Как сообщили в NASA, телескоп открыл несколько десятков ранее неизвестных планет вне Солнечной системы

ТАСС, 11 августа. Орбитальный телескоп TESS решил все задачи, поставленные в рамках основной миссии, получив детальную карту 75% ночного неба и открыв несколько десятков ранее неизвестных планет вне Солнечной системы. Об этом во вторник сообщила пресс-служба Центра космических полетов NASA имени Годдарда (GSFC).

"Наш телескоп уже два года подряд проводит очень качественные наблюдения, получая данные, которые будут интересны многим нашим коллегам, изучающим самые разные научные проблемы. Запуская расширенную миссию TESS, мы уже сейчас можем сказать, что ее основная часть завершилась крайне успешно", - сообщила научный руководитель проекта TESS в Центре космических полетов NASA имени Годдарда Патрисия Бойд, чьи слова приводит пресс-служба GSFC.

Орбитальный телескоп TESS, предназначенный для наблюдений за экзопланетами, был выведен в космос в апреле 2018 года. Он стал заменой для его предшественника, обсерватории Kepler, запущенной в 2009 году и открывшей свыше 4 тыс. экзопланет за восемь лет работы.

В отличие от Kepler, наблюдавшего на первом этапе своей работы за одним участком неба, расположенном на стыке созвездий Лебедя и Лиры, TESS во время основной и расширенной миссии будет работать в "свободном режиме", наблюдая за разными уголками Галактики.

В частности, за первые два года работы он уже успел открыть 66 подтвержденных экзопланет и обнаружить свыше двух тысяч кандидатов на эту роль. Часть из них была найдена в окрестностях очень ярких светил, за которыми в принципе не мог наблюдать Kepler. Как ожидают ученые, ему удастся открыть еще больше объектов во время расширенной миссии, которая завершится в сентябре 2022 года.

В ее рамках он сначала повторно изучит южную половину небесной сферы, а затем попытается впервые обнаружить планеты у звезд, на которые мы смотрим через плоскость Солнечной системы. Эти наблюдения, как надеются астрономы, помогут им найти аналоги Земли у других звезд и понять, как часто на их поверхности возникает жизнь.

Цитата: undefined26 авг, 13:53
Искусственный интеллект подтвердил существование 50 экзопланет
Новый алгоритм машинного обучения может такие объекты гораздо быстрее людей или классических методов обработки информации
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186555.jpg)Телескоп "Кеплер"
© NASA via AP
ТАСС, 26 августа. Британские астрономы разработали алгоритм машинного обучения, который может анализировать снимки с телескопов TESS и "Кеплер" и проверять, действительно ли у далеких звезд существуют экзопланеты. В частности, он уже подтвердил существование 50 экзопланет, проанализировав данные "Кеплера". Результаты их работы опубликовал научный журнал Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/mnras/staa2498/5894933?redirectedFrom=fulltext).
"Благодаря этому алгоритму мы перевели в категорию подтвержденных экзопланет сразу 50 кандидатов. Раньше никто не использовал для этого системы машинного обучения. Теперь мы не просто можем сказать, какой из кандидатов, скорее всего, представляет из себя планету, но и можем точно вычислить вероятность этого", – пояснил (https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/fifty_new_planets) один из авторов исследования, планетолог из Уорикского университета (Великобритания) Дэвид Армстронг.
За последние несколько лет астрономы нашли более тысячи экзопланет и несколько тысяч кандидатов на эту роль. Большинство из них относится к так называемым горячим юпитерам (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%8F%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%8E%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80) – планетам размером с Юпитер, которые при этом находятся на порядок ближе к своей звезде, чем Меркурий к Солнцу. При этом среди экзопланет все чаще встречаются менее крупные планеты, которые по размеру сопоставимы с Землей.
Большую часть известных экзопланет открыл телескоп "Кеплер". На протяжении почти четырех лет он непрерывно следил за сотнями тысяч звезд, которые находятся на границе созвездий Лебедя и Лиры. Если на его снимках было видно, что у какой-то звезды периодически снижается яркость, то это могло быть знаком, что ее время от времени "загораживала" от телескопа вращающаяся вокруг светила планета. Такое явление астрономы называют прохождением или транзитом (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_(%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%8F)).
Впрочем, причиной этого могут быть и другие явления, в том числе процессы внутри самих светил. Как правило, длительные наблюдения позволяют отделить одно от другого, однако для этого нужно очень долго и кропотливо сравнивать изображения и анализировать все доступные научные данные об активности звезды.

Подсказки искусственного разума

Британские ученые разработали алгоритм машинного обучения (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5), который может решить эту задачу быстрее и качественнее человека или классических статистических методов анализа информации. Он представляет собой многослойную нейросеть, которая может отыскивать скрытые закономерности в серии снимков звезд.
Для тренировки этого искусственного интеллекта ученые использовали набор данных, которые "Кеплер" собрал при открытии уже подтвержденных экзопланет, а также объектов, существование которых впоследствии не подтвердилось. Всего для обучения через искусственный интеллект прогнали более 30 тыс. транзитов.
Работу алгоритма ученые проверили на нескольких сотнях еще не подтвержденных планет из каталога "Кеплера". Алгоритм выделил 50 объектов, которые с вероятностью более чем 99% представляют из себя экзопланеты. Впоследствии астрономы подтвердили это с помощью других методов анализа данных.
Исследователи считают, что их разработку можно использовать для автоматизированного и очень быстрого поиска новых экзопланет. Алгоритм может анализировать данные с TESS и других телескопов в режиме реального времени. В частности, Армстронг и его коллеги надеются, что их методику используют в работе строящейся европейской космической обсерватории PLATO, запуск которой намечен на 2026 год.

ЦитироватьTESS, Spitzer Spot Potential Giant World Circling Tiny Star

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220453.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

16 сент. 2020 г.

ЦитироватьSept. 16, 2020
RELEASE 20-086

NASA Missions Spy First Possible 'Survivor' Planet Hugging White Dwarf Star

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/208140.png) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/wd_1856.png)
In this illustration, WD 1856 b, a potential Jupiter-size planet, orbits its much smaller host star, a dim white dwarf.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

An international team of astronomers using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) (https://www.nasa.gov/tess-transiting-exoplanet-survey-satellite) and retired Spitzer Space Telescope (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/main/index.html) has reported what may be the first intact planet found closely orbiting a white dwarf, the dense leftover of a Sun-like star, only 40% larger than Earth.

The Jupiter-size object, called WD 1856 b, is about seven times larger than the white dwarf (https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs2.html), named WD 1856+534. It circles this stellar cinder every 34 hours, more than 60 times faster than Mercury orbits our Sun.

"WD 1856 b somehow got very close to its white dwarf and managed to stay in one piece," said Andrew Vanderburg, an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "The white dwarf creation process destroys nearby planets, and anything that later gets too close is usually torn apart by the star's immense gravity. We still have many questions about how WD 1856 b arrived at its current location without meeting one of those fates."

A paper about the system, led by Vanderburg and including several NASA co-authors, appears in the Sept. 17 issue of Nature and is now available online (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2713-y).

TESS monitors (https://www.nasa.gov/content/about-tess) large swaths of the sky, called sectors, for nearly a month at a time. This long gaze allows the satellite to find exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, by capturing changes in stellar brightness caused when a planet crosses in front of, or transits, its star.

The satellite spotted WD 1856 b about 80 light-years away in the northern constellation Draco. It orbits a cool, quiet white dwarf that is roughly 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) across, may be up to 10 billion years old, and is a distant member of a triple star system.

When a Sun-like star runs out of fuel, it swells up to hundreds to thousands of times its original size, forming a cooler red giant (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/life-and-death/chapter-6/) star. Eventually, it ejects its outer layers of gas, losing up to 80% of its mass. The remaining hot core becomes a white dwarf. Any nearby objects are typically engulfed and incinerated during this process, which in this system would have included WD 1856 b in its current orbit. Vanderburg and his colleagues estimate the possible planet must have originated at least 50 times farther away from its present location.

youtu.be/fDhG0ppvQ2g
Watch to learn how a possible giant planet may have survived its tiny star's chaotic history. Jupiter-size WD 1856 b is nearly seven times larger than the white dwarf it orbits every day and a half. Astronomers discovered it using data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Goddard Space Flight Center

More resources (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13708)

"We've known for a long time that after white dwarfs are born, distant small objects such as asteroids and comets can scatter (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/overlooked-treasure-the-first-evidence-of-exoplanets) inward towards these stars. They're usually pulled apart by a white dwarf's strong gravity and turn into a debris disk," said co-author Siyi Xu, an assistant astronomer at the international Gemini Observatory in Hilo, Hawaii, which is a program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab. "That's why I was so excited when Andrew told me about this system. We've seen hints (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1789-8) that planets could scatter inward, too, but this appears to be the first time we've seen a planet that made the whole journey intact."

The team suggests several scenarios that could have nudged WD 1856 b onto an elliptical path around the white dwarf. This trajectory would have become more circular over time as the star's gravity stretched the object, creating enormous tides that dissipated its orbital energy.

"The most likely case involves several other Jupiter-size bodies close to WD 1856 b's original orbit," said co-author Juliette Becker, a 51 Pegasi b Fellow in planetary science at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) in Pasadena. "The gravitational influence of objects that big could easily allow for the instability you'd need to knock a planet inward. But at this point, we still have more theories than data points."

Other possible scenarios involve the gradual gravitational tug of the two other stars in the system, red dwarfs G229-20 A and B, over billions of years and a flyby from a rogue star perturbing the system. Vanderburg's team thinks these and other explanations are less likely because they require finely tuned conditions to achieve the same effects as the potential giant companion planets.

Jupiter-size objects can occupy a huge range of masses, from planets only a few times more massive than Earth (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/cotton-candy-planet-mysteries-unravel-in-new-hubble-observations/) to low-mass stars thousands of times Earth's mass. Others are brown dwarfs, which straddle the line between planet and star. Usually scientists turn to radial velocity (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/ways-to-find-a-planet/#/1) observations to measure an object's mass, which can hint at its composition and nature. This method works by studying how an orbiting object tugs on its star and alters the color of its light. But in this case, the white dwarf is so old that its light has become both too faint and too featureless for scientists to detect noticeable changes.

Instead, the team observed the system in the infrared using Spitzer, just a few months before the telescope was decommissioned (https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-spitzer-space-telescope-ends-mission-of-astronomical-discovery). If WD 1856 b were a brown dwarf or low-mass star, it would emit its own infrared glow. This means Spitzer would record a brighter transit than it would if the object was a planet, which would block rather than emit light. When the researchers compared the Spitzer data to visible light transit observations taken with the Gran Telescopio Canarias in Spain's Canary Islands, they saw no discernible difference. That, combined with the age of the star and other information about the system, led them to conclude that WD 1856 b is most likely a planet no more than 14 times Jupiter's size. Future research and observations may be able to confirm this conclusion.

Finding a possible world closely orbiting a white dwarf prompted co-author Lisa Kaltenegger, Vanderburg, and others to consider the implications for studying atmospheres of small rocky worlds in similar situations. For example, suppose that an Earth-size planet were located within the range of orbital distances around WD 1856 where water could exist on its surface. Using simulated observations, the researchers show that NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html) could detect water and carbon dioxide on the hypothetical world by observing just five transits.

The results of these calculations, led by Kaltenegger and Ryan MacDonald, both at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, have been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and are available online (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aba9d3).

"Even more impressively, Webb could detect gas combinations potentially indicating biological activity on such a world in as few as 25 transits," said Kaltenegger, the director of Cornell's Carl Sagan Institute. "WD 1856 b suggests planets may survive white dwarfs' chaotic histories. In the right conditions, those worlds could maintain conditions favorable for life longer than the time scale predicted for Earth (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aacbc7). Now we can explore many new intriguing possibilities for worlds orbiting these dead stellar cores."

There is currently no evidence suggesting there are other worlds in the system, but it's possible additional planets exist and haven't been detected yet. They could have orbits that exceed the time TESS observes a sector or are tipped in a way such that transits don't occur. The white dwarf is also so small that the possibility of catching transits from planets farther out in the system is very low.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia, NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes, and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California managed the Spitzer mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Spitzer science data continue to be analyzed by the science community via the Spitzer data archive, located at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at Caltech. Science operations were conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. Spacecraft operations were based at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

-end-

Last Updated: Sept. 16, 2020
Editor: Sean Potter

ЦитироватьTESS's Northern Sky Vista

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220453.jpg) (https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAexplorer) NASA Goddard (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY-SMFNfynqz1bdoaV8BeQ)

5 окт. 2020 г.

Familiar stars shine, nebulae glow, and nearby galaxies tantalize in a new panorama of the northern sky assembled from 208 images from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

Within this starry scene, TESS has discovered 67 new exoplanets. Astronomers are sifting through some 1,200 additional exoplanet candidates, potential new worlds that await confirmation. More than 600 of these candidates lie in the northern sky.

The northern mosaic covers less of the sky than its southern counterpart, which was imaged during the mission's first year of operations. For about half of the northern sectors, the team decided to angle the cameras further north to minimize the impact of scattered light from Earth and the Moon. This results in an obvious gap along the mosaic's outer edge.

TESS has now begun its extended mission, during which it will spend another year imaging the southern sky. The satellite will revisit planets discovered in its first year, discover new worlds, and fill in coverage gaps from its initial survey. Improvements to the satellite's data collection and processing now allow TESS to return full sector images every 10 minutes and measure the brightness of thousands of stars every 20 seconds – all while continuing its previous strategy of measuring the brightness of tens of thousands of stars every two minutes.

Цитировать27 авг, 16:40
Телескоп TESS засек пять необычных коричневых карликов. Они в 70-90 раз тяжелее Юпитера
Благодаря этому ученые узнали, что по мере старения коричневые карлики постепенно сжимаются

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186859.jpg)Орбитальный телескоп TESS
© NASA via AP

ТАСС, 27 августа. С помощью орбитального телескопа TESS ученые обнаружили пять объектов, занимающих положение между полноценными звездами и коричневыми карликами. Их изучение поможет определить минимальную массу светил, считают ученые. Результаты исследования опубликовал научный журнал Astronomy & Astrophysics (https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2021/08/aa41145-21/aa41145-21.html).

"Мы до сих пор не знаем точного предела массы, который отделяет коричневые карлики от самых небольших звезд, которые могут сжигать водород на протяжении многих миллиардов лет. Чтобы ее определить, нам нужно будет найти еще много других крупных коричневых карликов, кроме этих пяти объектов", – объяснил (https://www.unige.ch/communication/communiques/en/2021/comment-percer-le-mystere-des-naines-brunes/) один из авторов исследования, научный сотрудник Женевского университета (Швейцария) Нолан Гривс.
Коричневыми карликами астрономы называют несостоявшиеся звезды, которые слабо светятся в инфракрасном диапазоне и постепенно гаснут по мере охлаждения их недр. Они возникают, если ядро протозвезды, которая формируется в облаке из газа и пыли, не более чем в 70-100 раз тяжелее массы Юпитера. Точное положение границы между звездами и коричневыми карликами пока не известно.
Гривс и его коллеги приблизились к ее определению. В ходе нового исследования они анализировали снимки орбитального телескопа TESS. Он предназначен для поиска экзопланет в окрестностях звезд размером с Солнце, но при этом достаточно чувствителен, чтобы изучать и открывать коричневые карлики.

Крупнейшие неудавшиеся звезды

Ученые обратили внимание, что коричневых карликов можно искать в окрестностях других звезд так же, как TESS ищет экзопланеты. Он отслеживает периодические колебания яркости светила, которые возникают из-за того, что тусклые или не светящиеся объекты проходят между телескопом и звездой.
Руководствуясь подобными соображениями, астрономы проанализировали данные TESS и попытались найти в них следы необычно крупных объектов массой больше самых крупных известных экзопланет. Необычно большими коричневыми карликами оказались сразу пять из них. Их масса, предположительно, превышает юпитерианскую в 70-90 раз.
Их изучение помогло Гривсу и его коллегам узнать одну необычную черту подобных крупных коричневых карликов. Эти "неудавшиеся звезды" по мере старения сжимаются. Это связано с тем, что изначально в их центре происходят термоядерные реакции с участием дейтерия, однако порождаемых ими температур не хватает для запуска аналогичных процессов с участием обычного водорода.
В результате коричневый карлик начинает быстро остывать и уменьшаться в размерах после того, как запасы дейтерия в его недрах подходят к концу. Эту особенность крупных и пожилых коричневых карликов следует учитывать при дальнейших поисках этих объектов и оценке их возраста, подытожили астрономы.