Corot the latest extrasolar planet mission - Page 2

Launch window · #31 (**permalink**) 01-October-2006, 04:34 AM

Delayed
next timetable for Corot is a Baikonur Cosmodrome launch from Kazakhstan in December 2006

Sporally · #32 (**permalink**) 02-October-2006, 01:38 PM

Link? Not that i don't believe you, but for additional reading

Launch window · #33 (**permalink**) 02-October-2006, 10:23 PM

These 2 good sites are up to date on launches
http://sworld.com.au/steven/space/russia-man.txt
http://www.skyrocket.de/space/doc_chr/lau2006.htm
the first one does say 29th of Nov, so it might launch before December ? But I did also see the December dated quoted at that uplink Space forum

Sporally · #34 (**permalink**) 04-October-2006, 06:25 PM

Oh great. This second link was exactly was i was needing, great. However, maybe too much information on commercial launches, but i can surely live with that. I guess the december launch is the true one. The guy who administrates the site has to have gained the information from somewhere, so i expect the information on the december launch to be the newest information as we rarely launch rocket prior to the deadline. But the information on the november launch is pretty new information, so i guess we can't entirely deny that one before we get a confirmation from elsewhere on the december launch.

Toymaker · #35 (**permalink**) 26-November-2006, 12:45 AM

http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid= 2150&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Quote:

Also discussed was the upcoming CoRoT mission, a space telescope that will search for extrasolar planets by looking for transits -- where a planet crosses in front of its star and therefore blocks some of the starlight that reaches us. CoRoT will be able to spot short period transits of 50 days or less, so only planets very close to their stars will be discovered by this mission.

As I am a total amatour what does this mean ? Does anybody know in what AU from the main star planets can be detected and what are limits of Cotor ?

Sporally · #36 (**permalink**) 26-November-2006, 02:17 PM

Here is a very great diagram that shows how big a planet Corot and the future telescopes. You can see that Corot can actually discover a planet that is only twice as great as the

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:E...2004-08-31.png

The greater the planet the easier it is to detect because it blocks more of the starlight than a smaller planet. But the planet's distance from the star is of course also important. Maybe someone can explain this in a better way. Here's a link to Wiki that explains how it works, or you could wait for others to explain it. I guess someone could do it better than me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methods...Transit_method

ASEI · #37 (**permalink**) 26-November-2006, 04:09 PM

Just curious, I thought I read something the other day about TPF getting axed? Is that true? (If so, grrrr! I was waiting for some very interesting results from that mission!)

Sporally · #38 (**permalink**) 26-November-2006, 08:45 PM

Really, i hope not. The europeans have a great upcoming mission - Darwin, a cornerstone mission, so it most surely won't be removed. But in general we have some great once upcoming. Here are those i know of (i haven't got my list with me right now, but maybe i can remember the most of them). Not all missions i write are purely exoplanet searchers. Plz add some in case i haven't heard about them or have forgotten about them.

Corot
Kepler
Terrestial planet finder (2 missions, i think one of them is called I and the other one is know with another letter)
Darwin
SIM
Gaia

Most certainly i have forgotten some. I recall this list to be longer, but plz tell me if you can add any to the list.

EDIT: Now those mission on the list are either small ones (more or less) that will be launched soon, or big projects that will be launched many years for now. Do you think we will see more missions in the size of Corot and Kepler or will we only see big projects from now on?

Toymaker · #39 (**permalink**) 26-November-2006, 11:19 PM

Quote:

he europeans have a great upcoming mission - Darwin, a cornerstone mission, so it most surely won't be removed.

From its description i always thought it was going to be in reality a common EU-USA project and it was dependent on development made in USA

Launch window · #40 (**permalink**) 27-November-2006, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toymaker

From its description i always thought it was going to be in reality a common EU-USA project and it was dependent on development made in USA

Europe has done great missions Venus Express, Smart-1, Rosetta but they lack experience of other space agencies like NASA, and a mission like Darwin is very far away from the green light.

The US has been the superpower when it comes to exploration but recent missions got bad budget cuts, TPF may not get off the ground do to lack of funding.

The solution may be to do a joint NASA-ESA mission like Soho or Cassini-Huygens.

I suspect this mission may be a combined effort TerrestrialPlanetFinder-Darwin

Sporally · #41 (**permalink**) 27-November-2006, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toymaker

From its description i always thought it was going to be in reality a common EU-USA project and it was dependent on development made in USA

You might be right on this one. I read it was an ESA mission, but maybe they are the main financial contributer to this mission.

Romanus · #42 (**permalink**) 27-November-2006, 02:32 PM

With TPF and SIM looking canned here, I've got my fingers mad crossed for Darwin and GAIA; I think they are by far the most important missions that will be launched the next decade.

Sporally · #43 (**permalink**) 27-November-2006, 03:58 PM

I SIM in danger aswell? I thought that mission was way into the development phase and way too important to get cancelled, and for this reason it wouldn't get shut down. But let's hope. TPF is a very expensive project so there should be some extra funds available although there are massive budget cuts.

Launch window · #44 (**permalink**) 06-December-2006, 01:40 PM

COROT fuels up

4 December 2006
The COROT satellite has completed an important step in its 5-week launch campaign after fuelling up for its almost 3-year mission. Launch is currently scheduled for 21 December from the Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan.
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/COROT/SEMMFV8L6VE_0.html
Following its arrival 15 November at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, COROT was immediately transferred to the MIK 112 integration and test building, where it will remain until shortly before launch.

Sporally · #45 (**permalink**) 06-December-2006, 04:13 PM

Strange.. On this site it says that the mission launch has just been postponed to december 27th. But nothing is mentioned on the ESA site

http://exoplanet.eu/

Launch window · #46 (**permalink**) 10-December-2006, 11:15 AM

Planet Detector is to launch soon!!
http://www.digitaljournal.com/articl...o_launch_soon_

Sporally · #47 (**permalink**) 10-December-2006, 03:02 PM

You know, Planet Detector isn't a mission, they just state that Corot is a planet detector

Launch window · #48 (**permalink**) 21-December-2006, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporally

You know, Planet Detector isn't a mission, they just state that Corot is a planet detector

Nevermind that,
Jounralists love to play with words even if the headlines seem silly to those with a scientific background

The UT site has a story on it

http://www.universetoday.com/2006/12...ace-telescope/

Look for 'starquakes' will be its main mission, planet hunting is secondary

Eroica · #49 (**permalink**) 21-December-2006, 08:41 AM

Corot

Quote:

After a launch campaign that started on 15 November, Corot is on tip-top form. the launch is scheduled on 27 December, 15:23 Paris time.