Planets to add to the list with the launch of ExoPlanetSat

Technology has revolutionized the way man thinks. It has also empowered him to know the unknown and sense the untouched. ExoPlanetSat, the$6mn nanosatellite is an unsavored example of such intense technology. The satellite, the size of a loaf of bread, is waiting to be launched in 2012, with an enthusiasm, as huge as man’s desire to know about extra-terrestrials.

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Developed by Draper laboratory along with MIT, the satellite is one of its kinds. It spans a dimension of 30X10X10 cu.cm. ExoPlanetSat is supposed to use the concept of transit observation for the purpose of tracking celestial objects revolving round stars. The measurement is to be done in accordance to the dimming of the star. The intensity of dimming and the duration during which the dim effect stays would precisely determine the size of the planet and its distance from the star respectively. This concept has been previously applied by other larger spacecrafts like Satellite CoRot and Kepler.

However, there is a small drawback to the entire idea. To measure a star’s brightness accurately, it is necessary to keep the spacecraft stable. Any disturbance in that context would blur images and would make forecasts inaccurate. Well, this shortfall has been taken well care of. Draper and MIT researchers have built custom avionics and off- the- shelf reaction wheels, both of which would help to keep the spacecraft in the desired position. Battery powered piezoelectric drives would control the motion of the image detectors. The image detectors have been kept separate from the spacecraft, and hence would function independently.

This is a perfect innovation that had never been previously thought of. True, human kind is entering an era, when no more humans would be needed to do work and odd jobs. Everything would be highly mechanized. One thing that has to be given a second thought to, is the question as to whether such an era is actually welcome or not. Is it possible for machines to take over everything that a human being does?

Without any offense to those who gave birth to the idea of hunting for aliens, is it worth looking for a second earth when our own planet earth is in a destructive point of its lifecycle? Is it not reasonable to spend amounts as huge as invested in this project, on the betterment of the earth?

Via: TechnologyReview