Washington, April 12:  NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or Tess aimed at detecting planets outside our solar system, is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on April 16.

The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier around 4.02 a.m. on April 17 (India time) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, NASA said on Wednesday.

Tess is NASA's next step in the search for exoplanets, including those that could support life.

Once in orbit, Tess will spend about two years surveying 200,000 of the brightest stars near the Sun to search for planets outside our solar system.

Tess will find the most promising exoplanets orbiting relatively nearby stars, giving future researchers a rich set of new targets for more comprehensive follow-up studies, including the potential to assess their capacity to harbour life.

With the help of a gravitational assist from the Moon, the spacecraft will settle into a 13.7-day orbit around Earth, NASA said in an earlier statement.

Sixty days after the launch and following tests of its instruments, the satellite will begin its initial two-year mission. Four wide-field cameras will give Tess a field-of-view that covers 85 per cent of our entire sky.

Within this vast visual perspective, the sky has been divided into 26 sectors that Tess will observe one by one.

The first year of observations will map the 13 sectors encompassing the southern sky, and the second year will map the 13 sectors of the northern sky.

The spacecraft will be looking for a phenomenon known as a transit, where a planet passes in front of its star, causing a periodic and regular dip in the star's brightness.

NASA's Kepler spacecraft used the same method to spot more than 2,600 confirmed exoplanets, most of them orbiting faint stars 300 to 3,000 light-years away

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Chronic back, leg, neck or hand pain, abdominal issues, obesity, persistent headaches, nerve problems, depression, insomnia, allergies, mental stress, skin conditions, paralysis and many other health issues troubling you? There’s a solution here even for women's problems like PCOD.

A unique attempt is underway in the midst of the Western Ghats in Uttara Kannada, in the form of a mission to build a “health formula” by slightly changing our lifestyle and diet. Nestled in greenery, Nisargamane Health Centre has become a centre of health attainment for many people.

A health centre that makes us achievers in the pursuit of health, Nisargamane Veda Health Centre is located on the outskirts of Ganeshnagar in Sirsi. It provides solutions for various health problems under one roof.

Yes, Nisargamane Health Centre in Sirsi is today drawing attention not just in Karnataka but across the country. For the past two and a half decades, Dr Venkatrama Hegde and his expert team of doctors and staff have been leading a movement of natural healing, curing patients and inspiring them with new zest for life.

Modern lifestyle has brought along with it many stress-related problems. Nisargamane offers a strong solution for incurable diseases and for health maintenance.

Alongside natural treatment, the centre also offers Panchakarma therapy, nature-based diet, accommodation in cottages close to nature. Dr Hegde has developed a new approach for successful management of difficult autoimmune disorders too.

The centre provides a wide range of treatments including acupuncture, acupressure, mud therapy, massage, steam bath, physiotherapy, dietary therapy, water massage and yoga. Many illnesses are effectively treated here through traditional Indian methods. A family-like atmosphere is consistently maintained here.

Dr Praveen Jacob, who has vast knowledge on health through food, and Dr Venkatesh Gaonkar, an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner, also serve here. Renowned actors, artists, religious heads, politicians, bureaucrats, ministers, MPs, industrialists, and common people have received treatment here and recovered, and continue to do so.

Dr Venkatrama Hegde writes a regular health awareness column in the Vijayavani newspaper. He also shares health-related information through YouTube and WhatsApp groups. His books like Power Diet, Kitchen as Hospital, Food as Medicine, and Home Remedies have reached lakhs of readers.

He has been honoured with the prestigious Aryabhata International Award, Nobel Mand National Award, Parimala Award, and Nammane Award among many others. Dr Hegde has conducted over a thousand health awareness camps so far.

Books like Power Diet, Kitchen as Hospital, Food as Medicine, Home Remedies, Food Health, and Alpha Natural Herbal Medicines are available here. Visitors can book appointments to meet Dr Hegde at 8073320478 or 8970822508.

“My PCOD issue had become so severe that I felt suicide was the only option. I stayed here for ten days and took treatment. Now I feel fine.”

– Suvarna M.K., Bengaluru

“When I came here, I was obese and had back pain. I’ve lost weight, and my diabetes is under control. I feel better now.”

– Neelakantha P., Hubballi

“This place gives me the feeling of being in my maternal home. They treated some of my long-standing health issues. I’ve now resolved to follow this lifestyle as prescribed here.”

– Aarati S.H., Maharashtra

Sponsored Article