Why did NASA originally launch the Kepler space telescope?
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NASA’s Kepler, the 10th in a series of low-cost, low-development-time and highly focused Discovery-class science missions, was designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars in our region of the Milky Way.
The spacecraft was named after the famed German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630).
Kepler was equipped to look for planets with size spans from one-half to twice the size of Earth (terrestrial planets) in the habitable zone of their stars where liquid water might exist in the natural state on the surface of the planet.
Its scientific goals included determining the abundance of these planets and the distribution of sizes and shapes of their orbits, estimating the number of planets in multiple-star systems, and determining the properties of stars that have planetary systems.
Kepler detected planets by observing transits, or tiny dips in the brightness of a star that occur when a planet crosses in front of the star.
NASA originally launched the Kepler Space Telescope on March 7, 2009, with the primary goal of discovering Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars, particularly in the habitable zone, where conditions might be suitable for life. The key objectives of the Kepler mission included:
Planet Detection: Kepler aimed to detect and confirm the presence of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) using the transit method, which involves measuring the slight dimming of a star’s light when a planet passes in front of it.
Planetary Statistics: The mission sought to determine the frequency of Earth-sized and larger planets in various types of star systems, helping to understand the diversity of planetary systems in our galaxy.
Habitability Assessment: By identifying planets in the habitable zone, Kepler aimed to assess which planets might have conditions suitable for life, thereby contributing to the search for extraterrestrial life.
Understanding Planet Formation: The data collected by Kepler would help scientists understand the processes of planet formation and evolution, providing insights into the dynamics of planetary systems.