<i>KEPLER</i> SCIENCE OPERATIONS

Abstract

Kepler's primary mission is a search for earth-size exoplanets in the\nhabitable zone of late-type stars using the transit method. To effectively\naccomplish this mission, Kepler orbits the Sun and stares nearly continuously\nat one field-of-view which was carefully selected to provide an appropriate\ndensity of target stars. The data transmission rates, operational cycles, and\ntarget management requirements implied by this mission design have been\noptimized and integrated into a comprehensive plan for science operations. The\ncommissioning phase completed all critical tasks and accomplished all\nobjectives within a week of the pre-launch plan. Since starting science, the\nnominal data collection timeline has been interrupted by two safemode events,\nseveral losses of fine point, and some small pointing adjustments. The most\nimportant anomalies are understood and mitigated, so Kepler's technical\nperformance metrics have improved significantly over this period and the\nprognosis for mission success is excellent. The Kepler data archive is\nestablished and hosting data for the science team, guest observers, and public.\nThe first data sets to become publicly available include the monthly full-frame\nimages, dropped targets, and individual sources as they are published. Data are\nreleased through the archive on a quarterly basis; the Kepler Results Catalog\nwill be released annually starting in 2011.\n