NASA's New Exoplanet Hunter Is Using a Clever Orbit
- Episode aired Apr 16, 2018
- 7m
TESS, the new satellite that will follow up Keppler in the search for exoplanets, had a tight budget that required some unusual optimization. In particular its orbit is designed to minimize ... Read allTESS, the new satellite that will follow up Keppler in the search for exoplanets, had a tight budget that required some unusual optimization. In particular its orbit is designed to minimize fuel requirements. So it used a lunar gravity assist to put it in an eccentric orbit of th... Read allTESS, the new satellite that will follow up Keppler in the search for exoplanets, had a tight budget that required some unusual optimization. In particular its orbit is designed to minimize fuel requirements. So it used a lunar gravity assist to put it in an eccentric orbit of the earth to provide fast data transfer at perigee and avoid eclipses by the earth of its fi... Read all