This week in Space: TESS phones home, Cygnus launches from Virginia, SpaceX gets safety approval
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While my trip to Kennedy Space Center didn’t end with getting to watch the TESS launch in person, I did get up close with the Falcon 9, the TESS hardware, and one of the lead scientists on the project. So I was happy to see that TESS is not only up there,This week in Space: TESS phones home, Cygnus launches from Virginia, SpaceX gets safety approval
While my trip to Kennedy Space Center didn’t end with getting to watch the TESS launch in person, I did get up close with the Falcon 9, the TESS hardware, and one of the lead scientists on the project. So I was happy to see that TESS is not only up there, but apparently performing well. This week, as TESS prepares to get a nudge from the Moon that will bring it closer to its final orbit, TESS turned on one of its four cameras for just a two second exposure. Two second exposure from TESS camera That image gives a sense of the amazing task ahead for TESS. With all four cameras collecting very detailed images, it will record light from across the sky, and in particular the 200,000 nearest stars. It’s ultimate orbit will be a highly elongated oval, which will sling it back near Earth every 14 days where it will drop off the high-density information before heading back out into the void to collect more. The “first light” image from all four TESS cameras is expected some time in June. By comparing the tiny fluctuations in brightness from one image to the next, scientists will search for the changes that result from transiting exoplanets. Because detecting those planets means looking at the differences from images over time, don’t expect an immediate flood of new discoveries — but do expect a flood. Come on in. Let’s see what else is going on up there. Read more