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Credit & Copyright: John Kraus
Explanation:
NASA's
Transiting Exoplanet Survey
Satellite (TESS) began its search for planets orbiting other stars by
leaving planet Earth on April 18.
The exoplanet hunter
rode
to orbit on top of a Falcon 9 rocket.
The Falcon 9 is so
designated for its 9 Merlin first stage engines
seen in this sound-activated camera close-up
from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
In the coming weeks, TESS will use a series of thruster burns
to boost it into a high-Earth, highly elliptical orbit.
A lunar gravity assist maneuver will allow it to reach a previously
untried stable orbit with half the orbital period of the Moon and a
maximum distance from Earth of about 373,000 kilometers (232,000 miles).
From there, TESS
will carry out a two year survey to search for
planets around the brightest and closest stars in the sky.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: launch
Publications with words: launch
See also: