The Kepler Mission Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Kepler Mission - Research Paper Example By observing the activity of the other planets and stars in the galaxy, the NASA informs human activities thus making the earth a safer place. The other planets and the star orbit revolve around the earth. This implies that the space consists of numerous movements thus increasing the likelihood of collisions (Shipman, Wilson & Higgins, 2013). The authority has determine past crashes on earth thus informing safety precautions in order to avert the loss of lives associated with such activities. The devise monitors the activity on the earth’s Milky Way. Fixed in a particular point of view in the Milky Way, the spacecraft maintains an integral view of the earth’s habitable zone. The spacecraft thus monitors the movement of other planets and stars on the path thus informing the safety and stability of the earth. The main instrument in the spacecraft is known as photometer with which it discovers ad monitors the lights emitted by the other stars on the Milky Way. The device t hen transmits the dates it discovers to the NASA offices on earth for analysis. The analysis always portrays the periodic dimming of the stars and the possible effects on both the earth and their host stars (International Astronomical Union, Pont, Sasselov, Holman & International Astronomical Union, 2009). The spacecraft observes the movement and activity in the space. In doing this, it observes both the light and sound emitted by the other stars orbiting around other planets on the earth’s Milky Way. Launched in 2009, the spacecraft that is part of the massive NASA’s discovery project had a timeline of three years (Marett-Crosby, 2013). However, the project has encountered several challenges most of which have influenced the rescheduling of the dates and the timeline of the project. Among the preliminary challenges to the project was the noise produced by both the machine and the stars in the space. The two impaired the data collection process thus informing the resch eduling of the dates as the association sought to rectify the anomalies. Additionally, in May 2013, one of the reaction wheels of the spacecraft failed thus resulting in subsequent receives and rescheduling of the dates. Goals Kepler maintains a dedicated observation of the earth’s Milky Way relaying fundamental information about the relationship and activities in the earth’s Milky Way. In doing this, the machine explores the structures and diversities of the earth’s planetary system. The information obtained from such studies help inform the activities and movements of people on earth. Some of the movements on the earth’s Milky Way possess substantial danger and security threat to the Earth. Some of the stars move on the earth’s orbit thus presenting potential security threats. The spacecraft observes the speed and closeness of such moving stars thus obtaining the specific dates of impact among others. The project’s goals include the follow ing: To determine the number of earth size planets lie on the earth’s Milky Way. To determine the sizes, ranges and shapes of the planets To estimate the number of planets on the earth’s habitable zone, in doing this, the spacecraft observes the size, the brightness, mass and density of the planets on the earth’s Milky Way. Dedicated monitoring of the space by Kepler among other scientific mechanisms employed by both the NASA and other scientific bodies globally is important in determining the safety of the earth. Kepler uses photographic lenses in capturing