NASA's Kepler Spacecraft Bounces Back From Emergency Mode

NASA’s exoplanet-hunting Kepler Spacecraft slipped into a state of emergency on April 7, 2016. The spacecraft which is 75 million miles away from our planet has survived many glitches before and once again, NASA’s engineers were able to fix the problem to prevent further damage.

The emergency mode status is the minimum mode of operation that is triggered when the spacecraft is facing serious issues. According to NASA, the spacecraft remained in its “lowest operational mode which was said to be “fuel intensive.”

The glitch was however fixed as the Kepler team reported that the spacecraft had now bounced back from the emergency mode and was now operating in its “lowest fuel burning mode.” The team also embarked on a task to test the spacecraft’s system to determine what actually lead to the glitch and review its overall health.

Spacecraft with Nine Lives

Since its launch in March 2009 with a mission to hunt for exoplanets around other stars, the Kepler Spacecraft has survived several crises.

After accomplishing part of the mission, the spacecraft lost one of its gyroscopic reaction wheels in July 2012 and another in May 2013. This was a huge blow to the mission as both failures resulted to the spacecraft going into “safe mode.” NASA engineered came to its rescue after using the light of the sun as a force to push the spacecraft’s solar panels and then using the remaining wheels to push against the force and point its telescope once again.

The telescope was still able to gather more data as it still had its extensive field of view and ability to measure the brightness of thousands of stars with a powerful precision. NASA finally decided the primary mission was over and set to undertake a secondary mission known as K2.

Still Going Strong

The Kepler Spacecraft is still going strong on the mission to hunt for exoplanets in its current K2 mission, although on a limited basis. Since its launch, it has discovered nearly 5000 exoplanets outside our solar system. Last year, it discovered Earth’s “closest twin” just outside the solar system. According to NASA scientists, this planet could be potentially habitable.

Despite the repeated glitches, the spacecraft has provided a wealth of information on the formation of stars, supernovas, asteroids, and comets. It’s a huge leap towards the study of exoplanets and other planetary systems. The spacecraft is named after Johannes Kepler, a famous German astronomer who played a critical role in the revolution of science.

The Kepler Spacecraft is currently nearly 75 million miles away from planet Earth. It takes around 13 minutes for a signal to travel to the craft and back, even at the speed of light.

In case of a future breakdown, the huge distance between the craft and Earth will now make it more difficult to fix. The spacecraft is otherwise operating normally, although a team of engineers continues to assess its health to prevent future breakdowns.

Revealing NASA's Curiousity : The Latest from Mars Rover

Although no human has ever been on the surface of the planet Mars, multiple roaming vehicles or rovers have explored the surface of the planet. The first Mars Exploration Rovers were launched in 2003 as a part of NASA's exploration of the red planet. The current rover exploring Mars is the Curiosity and it has some interesting findings.

Curiosity's Mission

The rover is best understood as an all-terrain vehicle. Since scientists have no way to repair any damage made to the rover once it leaves the earth, it's designed to withstand rough terrain. However, NASA scientists are finding that the car-sized rover currently exploring Mars has started to show its age. Curiosity has been on the planet for almost five years now and a recent view of the rover has shown breaks on the tire's treads.

NASA has stated that the damage won't keep the rover from completing its mission. In fact, they say that knowing this information is giving the agency important information on how to design future rovers. The next vehicle is slated for launch in 2020 and is already in the design stage. Currently, the mission team at NASA is monitoring the Curiosity's wheels which are made from aluminum and measure 16 inches wide. What's surprising to the team is that although the driving conditions on Mars are less than ideal, the extensive damage has occurred after only driving 9.9 miles. Scientists estimate that the rover will be able to make the final 3.7 mile journey to its final destination without any problems.

Changing Designs

Understanding the wear and tear on the rovers provides NASA with valuable information on the surface of the planet. They're also using this information to design the new rover with curved grousers which should withstand the planet better.

Curiosity's primary mission has been to determine if Mars ever had the capability to sustain microbial life and its mission was completed in the first year when it found evidence that the red planet once had water and the chemical compounds needed for life. However, it continued to explore in the mission to understand how a planet that once sustained life became harsh and dry.

In the final months of the rover, Curiosity keeps people updated on its progress with its own Twitter account which regularly uploads photos and videos. While the Curiosity wasn't the first or the last rover to explore Mars, it has been the most interesting one to watch with valuable finds and a fascinating journey.

The Journey To Mars - NASA

NASA operates as an independent agency, however, it is a branch of the executive. It has grown in leaps and bounds over the years since it was established in 1958 by president Eisenhower. NASA has staged pioneering missions and projects to the moon and back through the Apollo program. The program ran from 1961 to 1972 and still remains one of NASA's greatest success stories. Currently, NASA is planning to send humans to Mars and an asteroid by developing advanced technology. Extensive research is being carried out ranging from fuel and propulsion systems to human survival in space.

The Journey To Mars

NASA has plans to have the first humans on Mars by 2030. However, the main question is how to get there successfully. Mars is approximately 225 million kilometers away, and therefore, NASA must develop viable technology to get there. Currently, NASA is developing some of the most advanced space crafts and rocket systems ever designed.

The Orion Spacecraft will carry 4 astronauts beyond the moon. The spacecraft will be launched from Florida on board the space launch system. Furthermore, NASA is also working on an Asteroid Redirect mission that is intended to redirect a near earth asteroid into stable orbit around the moon. It is expected that by 2020, astronauts will have the opportunity to explore the asteroid and return with samples. These samples will be further analyzed for their chemical properties. This will create a basis to further understand what could be expected from Mars.

The International Space Station plays a major role in the research involving the journey to Mars. Human beings spend up to 6 months there where they are studied and observed. The International Space Station has opened up opportunities which have helped to understand physical/biological sciences and space. The International Space Station has enabled scientists to understand how humans can thrive in space for long missions to Mars and beyond. This has helped in developing precaution measures that will protect humans from exposure to ultraviolet rays, and lack of gravity. Research on life support systems and human-robotic interfaces is also being carried out in the International Space Station.

In terms of technology, NASA is working on new and innovative technologies that will make the journey to Mars easier. The technology being developed by NASA is intended to provide solutions that promote exploration. Some of this technology includes solar electric propulsion and cryogenic storage tanks made out of composite materials. One can not help but notice the immense effort that NASA is putting into the Mars program. The development of cutting edge technology through extensive research will surely bear fruit. At this rate, without any doubt, the first men could walk on Mars by 2030.