December 1, 2013
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmAstronomers Dream Up Dozens of Ideas for Kepler Spacecraft's Next Mission
NASA is investigating new roles for the former planet-hunting observatory
By Clara Moskowitz
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
The Kepler telescope is down but not out. The observatory was NASA's preeminent planet-hunting machine until May, when a mechanical failure on the spacecraft cost Kepler its precise pointing ability and, with it, the power to discover small exoplanets that could be similar to Earth. But space telescopes—even banged-up ones—are hard to come by, so NASA put out a call for ideas on how to repurpose Kepler. In response, scientists suggested more than 40 new missions for the spacecraft. Some are modified ways to carry on the search for planets, whereas others represent new directions altogether. Here are four intriguing blueprints for Kepler's second life.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber