New Delhi: NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) instrument has returned to science operations on 3 May and has resumed observations. The satellite scans portions of the sky watching for telltale dips in the brightnesses of stars, that indicates the passage of worlds in orbit around them. The satellite entered into a safe mode on 23 April, because of problems with the pointing mechanism of the spacecraft.

The engineering teams were able to determine that the spacecraft entered safe mode because momentum from the reaction wheels of the spacecraft could not be unloaded. This is a routine activity that ensures that the instrument is oriented correctly while conducting observations. The propulsion system which mediates the momentum transfer had not been successfully pressurised after the spacecraft had entered into the safe mode earlier in the month.

The spacecraft entered into safe mode twice in April, on 8 and 23 April. The team is now correcting the issue, and the ground teams are continuing to investigate why the spacecraft entered into a safe mode for the first time last month, on 8 April. TESS is on a mission to sky nearly the entire sky for planets beyond the Solar System. The instrument has however picked up other cosmic phenomenon, including stellar oscillations and black holes that shred stars.

TESS captures light curves of stars, which are variations in the luminosity over time. TESS was launched on 18 April, 2018 on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9. The primary mission was a two year campaign, but TESS continues to observe the skies, and has identified 6,977 candidate exoplanets so far. 402 are confirmed to be exoplanets among these.

TESS gathers so much data that it is impossible for scientists to process them all on their own, even if they used AI. NASA has accelerated the process by putting the data on Zooniverse, and inviting the general public to hunt down exoplanets from the comfort of your home.

QOSHE - Planet hunting telescope TESS returns to operations after shutdown - Aditya Madanapalle
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Planet hunting telescope TESS returns to operations after shutdown

20 0
08.05.2024

New Delhi: NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) instrument has returned to science operations on 3 May and has resumed observations. The satellite scans portions of the sky watching for telltale dips in the brightnesses of stars, that indicates the passage of worlds in orbit around them. The satellite entered into a safe mode on 23 April, because of problems with the pointing mechanism of the spacecraft.

The engineering teams were able to determine that the........

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