More on Kepler from the 2013 Kepler Science Conference II

After discussing Kepler in my recent post, I wanted to learn more about the status of the Kepler mission.  You can find numerous papers from the November 2013 Kepler Science Conference II held at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California.  At this link you can view the agenda and get further links to papers and videos. 

One topic that was covered was the future of the Kepler spacecraft, launched in 2009.  While its primary mission may be over (though much data analysis remains), NASA believes it can still do some science with the damaged craft.  One of the slides from the Kepler Deputy Project Manger Charlie Sobek's presentation is shown below. 

The issue is finding a way to stabilize the orbit of the Kepler spacecraft with its two remaining wheels while also staying away from the "annoying" shine of the sun.  This next phase is called "K2."  The theory is that NASA can stabilize the spacecraft 4 days at a time before firing the thrusters so it continue with its science.  Luckily, most of this can still be done within budget since new funds are tight. 

NASA has been very creative in its efforts to salvage past missions, so hopefully Kepler can still do some great work in the years to come.