NASA's Kepler Space Telescope Discovers Five Exoplanets

/PRNewswire/ -- NASA's Kepler space telescope, designed to find Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of sun-like stars, has discovered its first five new exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar system.

Kepler's high sensitivity to both small and large planets enabled the discovery of the exoplanets, named Kepler 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b. The discoveries were announced Monday, Jan. 4, by the members of the Kepler science team during a news briefing at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington.

"These observations contribute to our understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve from the gas and dust disks that give rise to both the stars and their planets," said William Borucki of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Borucki is the mission's science principal investigator. "The discoveries also show that our science instrument is working well. Indications are that Kepler will meet all its science goals."

Known as "hot Jupiters" because of their high masses and extreme temperatures, the new exoplanets range in size from similar to Neptune to larger than Jupiter. They have orbits ranging from 3.3 to 4.9 days. Estimated temperatures of the planets range from 2,200 to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than molten lava and much too hot for life as we know it. All five of the exoplanets orbit stars hotter and larger than Earth's sun.

"It's gratifying to see the first Kepler discoveries rolling off the assembly line," said Jon Morse, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We expected Jupiter-size planets in short orbits to be the first planets Kepler could detect. It's only a matter of time before more Kepler observations lead to smaller planets with longer period orbits, coming closer and closer to the discovery of the first Earth analog."

Launched on March 6, 2009, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Kepler mission continuously and simultaneously observes more than 150,000 stars. Kepler's science instrument, or photometer, already has measured hundreds of possible planet signatures that are being analyzed.

While many of these signatures are likely to be something other than a planet, such as small stars orbiting larger stars, ground-based observatories have confirmed the existence of the five exoplanets. The discoveries are based on approximately six weeks' worth of data collected since science operations began on May 12, 2009.

Kepler looks for the signatures of planets by measuring dips in the brightness of stars. When planets cross in front of, or transit, their stars as seen from Earth, they periodically block the starlight. The size of the planet can be derived from the size of the dip. The temperature can be estimated from the characteristics of the star it orbits and the planet's orbital period.

Kepler will continue science operations until at least November 2012. It will search for planets as small as Earth, including those that orbit stars in a warm habitable zone where liquid water could exist on the surface of the planet. Since transits of planets in the habitable zone of solar-like stars occur about once a year and require three transits for verification, it is expected to take at least three years to locate and verify an Earth-size planet.

According to Borucki, Kepler's continuous and long-duration search should greatly improve scientists' ability to determine the distributions of planet size and orbital period in the future. "Today's discoveries are a significant contribution to that goal," Borucki said. "The Kepler observations will tell us whether there are many stars with planets that could harbor life, or whether we might be alone in our galaxy."

Kepler is NASA's 10th Discovery mission. Ames is responsible for the ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., managed the Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., was responsible for developing the Kepler flight system. Ball and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder are supporting mission operations.

Ground observations necessary to confirm the discoveries were conducted with ground-based telescopes the Keck I in Hawaii; Hobby-Ebberly and Harlan J. Smith 2.7m in Texas; Hale and Shane in California; WIYN, MMT and Tillinghast in Arizona; and Nordic Optical in the Canary Islands, Spain.

For more information about the Kepler mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

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Sallie Mae Shares ‘How to Save, Plan and Pay for College’ Information on Television’s Designing Spaces

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving- and paying-for-college company, and Designing Spaces, a popular television series that inspires viewers to make every space count and to enjoy the space they live in, today unveiled a “How to Save, Plan and Pay for College” segment to help viewers get important information for their college investment.

The segment, which aired on the WE network and The Learning Channel (TLC) and is available at www.SallieMae.com/designingspaces, explains when and how families may begin saving for college, how to estimate college costs, what financial aid is and how to apply for it, and where to go for more assistance.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with Sallie Mae,” said Lysa Liemer, executive vice president of Quorum Productions, Inc., Designing Spaces’ production company. “They offer a wealth of information for parents who are preparing and saving for college. With easy tutorials and step-by-step solutions, Sallie Mae alleviates all of the concerns and confusion to help parents secure their children’s future. It’s never too early to start!”

The segment emphasizes the importance of scholarships, which do not need to be repaid, offers viewers tips for jumpstarting college savings and suggests the Upromise Rewards Program as a free way for families to earn rewards on their everyday purchases. In addition, it educates viewers on tuition payment plans, an interest-free alternative for families who want to pay education costs in monthly installments.

“In these tough economic times, we feel even more strongly about sharing information about college access and affordability with students and their families,” said Barry Feierstein, executive vice president, Sallie Mae. “Parents and students overwhelmingly believe that college is an investment in one’s future. We agree and are here to help them keep that investment manageable.”

According to Sallie Mae’s How America Pays for College study, conducted by Gallup, 75 percent of parents agreed that they were willing to stretch financially for the best opportunity for their child. To help families determine the full cost of college and build a plan to pay for it, the Designing Spaces show references Sallie Mae’s free Education Investment Planner available at www.SallieMae.com/plan.

Sallie Mae champions a “1-2-3 approach” to paying for college: first, tap “free money” such as grants and scholarships; second, fully explore federal loans; third, fill any gap with private student loans.

Created by Quorum Productions, Designing Spaces is a half-hour informative series that inspires viewers to make every space count and instructs them on the smartest ways to make their homes more beautiful and functional. From advice on large scale renovations to small modifications, simple tips on making everyday tasks easier to decorating on a budget, this is the one show that provides you with all the comprehensive information you'll need, presented in a fun, easy-to-follow format. Designing Spaces is seen Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings on TLC and on the Women's Entertainment Network between 7:00 & 10:00 am.

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