NASA's Kepler Mission Set for Launch

NASA's Kepler Mission Set for Launch:

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Kepler mission to seek other Earth-like planets is undergoing final preparations for liftoff Friday, March 6, from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft launch aboard a Delta II rocket has two windows of opportunity Friday, from 10:49 to 10:52 p.m. and 11:13 to 11:16 p.m. EST."

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From PRNewswire: NASA's Kepler Mission to Seek Other Earths

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NASA's Kepler Mission to Seek Other Earths:

"Kepler is scheduled to blast into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a Delta II rocket on March 5 at 10:48 p.m. EST. It is the first mission with the ability to find planets like Earth -- rocky planets that orbit sun-like stars in a warm zone where liquid water could be maintained on the surface. Liquid water is believed to be essential for the formation of life.

'Kepler is a critical component in NASA's broader efforts to ultimately find and study planets where Earth-like conditions may be present,' said Jon Morse, the Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 'The planetary census Kepler takes will be very important for understanding the frequency of Earth-size planets in our galaxy and planning future missions that directly detect and characterize such worlds around nearby stars.'

The mission will spend three and a half years surveying more than 100,000 sun-like stars in the Cygnus-Lyra region of our Milky Way galaxy. It is expected to find hundreds of planets the size of Earth and larger at various distances from their stars. If Earth-size planets are common in the habitable zone, Kepler could find dozens; if those planets are rare, Kepler might find none."

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ULA Delta II Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Successful NOAA-N Prime Launch

ULA Delta II Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Successful NOAA-N Prime Launch:

"VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A United Launch Alliance Delta II successfully launched the NASA NOAA-N Prime spacecraft at 2:22 a.m. PST, today. Rocketing from Space Launch Complex-2, the launch took place during the 20th year anniversary month of the first Delta II launch. The program's first launch took place Feb. 14, 1989, from Space Launch Complex-17, Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., carrying a Global Positioning System satellite.

NOAA-N Prime, following a 65 minute flight, was deployed on its mission to improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events around the world. It's the last in the current series of five polar-orbiting satellites with improved imaging and sounding capabilities. Additionally, NOAA-N Prime carries instruments that support the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System (SARSAT), which relays emergency distress beacon information from mariners and aviators to rescue teams. Since SARSAT was established in 1982, more than 24,500 lives have been saved."

-- from PRNewswire