{"id":18560,"date":"2018-04-19T00:17:36","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T16:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-nasas-tess-spacecraft-on-mission-to-seek-out-alien-planets\/"},"modified":"2018-04-19T00:17:36","modified_gmt":"2018-04-18T16:17:36","slug":"spacex-launches-nasas-tess-spacecraft-on-mission-to-seek-out-alien-planets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-nasas-tess-spacecraft-on-mission-to-seek-out-alien-planets\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches NASA\u2019s TESS spacecraft on mission to seek out alien planets"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_413250\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-413250\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-413250\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180418-spacex2-630x433.jpg\" alt=\"SpaceX launch\" width=\"630\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180418-spacex2-630x433.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180418-spacex2-768x528.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180418-spacex2.jpg 1188w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-413250\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket lofts NASA\u2019s TESS probe into space. (NASA via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>SpaceX has launched NASA\u2019s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, kicking off a mission aimed at surveying&nbsp;nearly the entire sky for exoplanets.<\/p>\n<p>The probe rose into space atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, sent up from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:51 p.m. ET (3:51 p.m. PT) today.<\/p>\n<p>TESS was supposed to take off on Monday, but the launch teams said they wanted more time for guidance, navigation and control analysis. No issues were reported this time around.<\/p>\n<p>Minutes after launch, SpaceX landed the Falcon 9\u2019s first-stage booster on an autonomous drone ship named \u201cOf Course I Still Love You,\u201d hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic. Over the past two years, such landings have become routine.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=986741272680517632&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2018%2Ftess-spacex-nasa-exoplanets%2F&amp;sessionId=873ecd273e1b26d2a72a1f1d9420eb1d2fd06325&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"986741272680517632\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782801217016888817=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LANDING!!! The Falcon 9 first stage has landed on OCISLY in the Atlantic Ocean. It\u2019s the 24th successful recovery of a Falcon booster. pic.twitter.com\/2UvePuMkcN<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Michael Baylor (@MichaelBaylor_) April 18, 2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the second stage pushed TESS onward to orbit. A series of in-space maneuvers will settle the probe into an unusual planet-hunting orbit. Over the course of a two-year, $377 million mission, the probe\u2019s four telescopic cameras should cover 85 percent of the entire sky.<\/p>\n<p>TESS will target 200,000 of the brightest stars in our celestial neighborhood, looking for the faint dimming of starlight as an exoplanet passes over a given star\u2019s disk. This detection technique, known as the transit method, was pioneered by probes such as NASA\u2019s wildly successful Kepler telescope.<\/p>\n<p>Astronomers expect to identify more than 1,500 exoplanet candidates of all sizes. They say about 500 of those worlds should range from less than Earth\u2019s width to twice its width (so-called \u201cSuper Earths\u201d).<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=986697958589632512&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2018%2Ftess-spacex-nasa-exoplanets%2F&amp;sessionId=873ecd273e1b26d2a72a1f1d9420eb1d2fd06325&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"986697958589632512\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782801217016888817=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Which of our near stellar neighbors has planets? Our new astrophysics mission, @NASA_TESS, is launching today to help us find out. Here\u2019s how: https:\/\/t.co\/Qx1nAqI8AK pic.twitter.com\/8nk0OHbYUU<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NASA (@NASA) April 18, 2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Further information about the planets will be gleaned by other telescopes during follow-up observations. The resulting catalog could serve as a guidebook for more powerful planet-hunters to come.<\/p>\n<p>For example, NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope, now due for launch in 2020, should be able to analyze the chemical composition of alien atmospheres.<\/p>\n<p>Such readings could provide new clues in the search for life beyond our solar system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket lofts NASA\u2019s TESS probe into space. (NASA via YouTube) SpaceX has launched NASA\u2019s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, kicking off a mission aimed at surveying&nbsp;nearly the entire sky for exoplanets. The probe rose into space atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, sent up from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[559,479,4434,4709,316,2398],"class_list":["post-18560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-exoplanets","tag-falcon-9","tag-falcon-launch","tag-planets","tag-spacex","tag-tess"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18560"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18560\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}