Kepler Mission Options

[imran]

This NASA Discovery mission is to be launched in June 2008 and will search for Earth-size and smaller planets. Launch was originally scheduled in 2007 but delayed by 8 months due to "funding constraints".

Here's the official web site:
http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/

[SpaceListener]

I am trying to find out about the future position of Kepler with respect to Earth. So far I have found the following info which does not satisfy me since it does not tell me about how far will be Kelper following up to Earth with a constant distance?

Sixty-two minutes after launch, Kepler will have separated entirely from its rocket and will be in its final Earth-trailing orbit around the sun, an orbit similar to that of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

[HughFromAlice]

future position of Kepler with respect to Earth.

I went here http://kepler.nasa.gov/sci/design/orbit.html

NASA press kit is interesting - orbit info on page 14 http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/314125main_Kepler_...2-19_smfile.pdf

Kepler needs uninterrupted viewing to ensure most efficient use of observation time for planetary transits ("100,000 stars will be monitored continuously and simultaneously")!!!!! - therefore it is being put into a heliocentric orbit that trails behind the earth where earth/moon will not block the view. Also important - being further away from effects of things like earth/moon gravity, magnetoshpere etc means good stability and so better pics. Kepler's orbit will gradually fall further behind the Earth (worst case 0.5 AU after 4 years) but it will still be within communications range even after the end of the nominal mission - 3.5 years. Will probably get funding a bit longer after that.

Hope this helps.