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 The Kepler Mission Names in Space was a great success. Almost 60,000 people registered for Kepler's Names in Space project. Many provided a statement on their views about the value of the mission and space exploration. The names and statements were burned onto a DVD in early December, 2008. Dr. David Koch, Deputy Principal Investigator for Kepler, is seen here installing the DVD onto the Kepler spacecraft at Ball Aerospace Technologies Corporation in Boulder CO. A copy of the DVD was given to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum as a historical record of public opinion about Kepler and space exploration.
The spacecraft was transported to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in early 2009 to prepare for launch. Kepler was launched on March 6 and began science observations on May 13, 2009.
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