David G. Koch✉(Ames Research Center)William J. Borucki(Ames Research Center)Gibor Basri(University of California, Berkeley)Natalie M. Batalha(San Jose State University)Timothy M. Brown(Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network)Douglas Caldwell(Ames Research Center)Jørgen Christensen-Dalsgaard(Aarhus University)William D. Cochran(The University of Texas at Austin)Edna DeVore(Ames Research Center)Edward W. Dunham(Lowell Observatory)Thomas N. Gautier(Jet Propulsion Laboratory)John C. Geary(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian)Ronald L. Gilliland(Space Telescope Science Institute)Alan Gould(University of California, Berkeley)Jon Jenkins(Ames Research Center)Yoji Kondo(Goddard Space Flight Center)David W. Latham(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian)Jack J. Lissauer(Ames Research Center)Geoffrey Marcy(University of California, Berkeley)David Monet(United States Naval Observatory)Dimitar Sasselov(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian)Alan BossDonald Brownlee(University of Washington)John Caldwell(York University)Andrea K. Dupree(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian)Steve B. Howell(Kitt Peak National Observatory)Hans Kjeldsen(Aarhus University)Søren Meibom(Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian)David Morrison(Ames Research Center)Tobias Owen(University of Hawaii System)Harold ReitsemaJill Tarter(Ames Research Center)Stephen T. Bryson(Ames Research Center)Jessie L. Dotson(Ames Research Center)Paul Gazis(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)Michael R. Haas(Ames Research Center)Jeffrey Kolodziejczak(Marshall Space Flight Center)Jason F. Rowe(Ames Research Center)Jeffrey E. Van Cleve(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)Christopher Allen(Ames Research Center)Hema Chandrasekaran(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)Bruce D. Clarke(Ames Research Center)Jie Li(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)Elisa V. Quintana(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)Peter Tenenbaum(Ames Research Center)Joseph D. Twicken(Ames Research Center)Hayley Wu(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)
The <em>Kepler Mission</em>, launched on 2009 March 6, was designed with the explicit capability to detect Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of solar-like stars using the transit photometry method. Results from just 43 days of data along with ground-based follow-up observations have identified five new transiting planets with measurements of their masses, radii, and orbital periods. Many aspects of stellar astrophysics also benefit from the unique, precise, extended, and nearly continuous data set for a large number and variety of stars. Early results for classical variables and eclipsing stars show great promise. To fully understand the methodology, processes, and eventually the results from the mission, we present the underlying rationale that ultimately led to the flight and ground system designs used to achieve the exquisite photometric performance. As an example of the initial photometric results, we present variability measurements that can be used to distinguish dwarf stars from red giants.
