Posted on 06/09/2009 5:51:56 PM PDT by KevinDavis
Planetary scientists are awaiting the first transmission of science data from NASA's Kepler planet-finding mission to arrive on June 18, after the spacecraft has spent more than a month staring at a stretch of sky in the Cygnus and Lyra constellations.
Kepler is seeking tiny variations in the light reaching its 1.4-meter (4.6-foot) Schmidt telescope. Science data collection started May 12, after a 60-day checkout period. Researchers at Ames Research Center in California are pleased with the calibration data collected, which revealed "hundreds" of variable stars and binary stars eclipsing each other.
(Excerpt) Read more at aviationweek.com ...
Hell I wish I could see Aplha Centauri from here.
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