New Exoplanet Hunter launches
TESS
A new satellite blasts off from Cape Canaveral today,
WFUV's Jonathan Woodward has this:
TESS, which stands for Transiting Exoplanet Survery Satellite, is designed to look for planets with earth-like characteristics, like rocky surfaces, atmospheres, and the possibility of water. TESS will be able to search twice as many star systems, and in less time as its predecessor, the Kepler mission.
Doctor Kevin Knuth [k'nooth] is Associate Professor of Physics at SUNY Albany. He's a planet hunter too - his work tracks reflected light around stars that may point to new planets.
"I would love to know what's out there! I want to know what the universe is really like! I think that's a really exciting idea. I imagine the galaxy is teeming with life. I imagine there's life all over the place and we have a lot to learn about it."
TESS is scheduled to launch at 6:32 Monday evening.
Jonathan Woodward, WFUV News.
