A few months back, the KSP was decommissioned, having run out of propellent.

During its 10 years of operation, Kepler discovered over 2500 exoplanets (which is more than half of those known, as I type this). It’s main instrument was a highly sensitive photometer, combined with its 1.4 m mirror.

Its purpose was to detect subtle changes in the brightness of stars corresponding to transits by the stars’ planets.

I was previously under the impression that the KSP was parked at a Lagrange point but it is actually in an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit, with a period of about 372 days, such that it continually falls further away from Earth.

Kepler’s function has been taken over by TESS, another craft launched last year. TESS is in a highlyEarth orbit that is in 2:1 resonance with the moon, such that is apogees take place 90 degrees from the Moon’s position.

dv said:

A few months back, the KSP was decommissioned, having run out of propellent.

During its 10 years of operation, Kepler discovered over 2500 exoplanets (which is more than half of those known, as I type this). It’s main instrument was a highly sensitive photometer, combined with its 1.4 m mirror.

Its purpose was to detect subtle changes in the brightness of stars corresponding to transits by the stars’ planets.

I was previously under the impression that the KSP was parked at a Lagrange point but it is actually in an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit, with a period of about 372 days, such that it continually falls further away from Earth.

Kepler’s function has been taken over by TESS, another craft launched last year. TESS is in a highlyEarth orbit that is in 2:1 resonance with the moon, such that is apogees take place 90 degrees from the Moon’s position.

Yep.

> I was previously under the impression that the KSP was parked at a Lagrange point.

Ditto. Am surprised that it is not. I thought only Spitzer and Stereo had Earth-trailing heliocentric orbits.

Tess i dislike becase it can only observe planets in really close orbits, much closer than Mercury’s orbit. Kepler had at least the potential to observe planets as far out as Jupiter. But my methods for spotting planets may work better on Tess than Kepler, if I ever get around to trying it, because of bad light leakage problems with Kepler. I’ll wait until Tess collects more data.

Exomars progress update. Mission launch window (26 July–11 Aug 2020).

https://m.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2019/10/ExoMars_Progress_Update

Use link to see video.

Also on Exomars.

“The mission needs two parachutes – each with its own pilot chute for extraction – to help slow the descent module prior to landing on Mars. Once the atmospheric drag has slowed the descent module from around 21 000 km/h to 1700 km/h, the first parachute will be deployed. Some 20 seconds later, at about 400 km/h, the second parachute will open … damage to the 15 m-diameter primary parachute and 35 m-diameter secondary parachute canopy was observed in drop tests … now redesigned”.

http://m.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars/ExoMars_parachute_progress