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The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, aliases TESS, which has been searching for planets for illustration Earth extracurricular of nan star system, unexpectedly went into "safe mode" Monday, NASA said.Photo courtesy of NASA
April 11 (UPI) -- NASA's oculus successful nan entity has unexpectedly unopen off, temporarily interrupting its study of space.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, aliases TESS, which has been searching for planets for illustration Earth extracurricular of nan star system, unexpectedly went into "safe mode" Monday, NASA said.
The abstraction agency said it is investigating nan origin of TESS's shutdown, which happened during regular activities. The outer remains successful bully condition, and NASA expects to person it backmost online "in nan coming days."
SpaceX launched TESS successful 2018 to switch nan decommissioned Kepler scope arsenic NASA's superior planet-hunter. The outer surveys agleam stars for grounds of planetary objects successful their orbit pinch a wider and much broad position than its predecessor.
TESS successful 2021 captured a agleam gamma-ray burst, which indicates nan illness of a monolithic prima and nan commencement of a achromatic hole, proving nan outer is useful for watching different interstellar phenomena.
The outer in 2022 discovered 2 rocky, Earth-like exoplanets immoderate 33 light-years distant from Earth, nan closest rocky exoplanets ever found.
Both planets, dubbed "super earths" for being astir 1 1/2 times nan size of Earth, orbit nan reddish dwarf prima HD 260655. NASA scientists said nan planets mightiness beryllium excessively basking to prolong life.
Researchers from Berkeley's SETI Research Center said successful February they utilized TESS data to thief place caller imaginable signals of intelligent life.
