Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite facts for kids
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The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is a planned NASA space telescope designed to search for planets outside of the Solar System (such planets are called exoplanets).
TESS was launched on April 18, 2018 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The total value of the launch services contract is US$87 million. SpaceX was awarded the launch in December 2014.
Orbit
TESS is orbiting the Earth with a period of about 14 days, which is half of the period of the Moon. The orbit will be highly elliptical, which means that it will be closer to the Earth at some points but very far from the Earth at other times. TESS will have four high-resolution cameras and will be continuously taking photos of the sky. It will send the photos to the laboratory on Earth which will make them available to scientists to study. Members of the public, like astronomy hobbyists and enthusiasts, will also be able to download and see the photos.
The main purpose of TESS is to find planets around other stars. Such planets, when they are orbiting around their stars, partially cover the stars and make them not as bright half of the time. This is called occultation. TESS will be looking for such stars.
TESS satellite will be small, about 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches) in size, with the solar panel span of 3.7 meters (12 ft). It will weigh 350 kilograms (770 pounds) at launch.
Images for kids
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TESS – first light(August 7, 2018)
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The Falcon 9 rocket carrying TESS, launching from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in April 2018.
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TESS spacecraft before launch
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Test image taken before the start of science operations. The image is centered on the constellation Centaurus. In the top right corner the edge of the Coalsack Nebula can be seen, the bright star in the bottom left is Beta Centauri.
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Exoplanet LHS 3844 b (artist concept)
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See also
In Spanish: Satélite de Sondeo de Exoplanetas en Tránsito para niños
