Kepler & K2
Nine days of two-wheel engineering data have been delivered to the MAST archive and are accessible to all interested users within the community. This data was collected between Feb 4-13, 2014, before Campaign 0, and points to a different region of sky to Campaign 0, RA = 359 deg, Dec = -2 deg. In future publications and presentations, we would be grateful if you referred to these data collectively as the "Two-wheel Concept Engineering Test". The motivation for delivering this test data is described below.
To help the community in the endeavor of maximizing photometric quality and precision of a two-wheel mission we have delivered engineering data to the MAST archive. The Kepler spacecraft operated with fine-guidance, collecting data from 2,017 target masks. The properties and quality of the data therein is expected to be similar to those collected during Campaign 0 and provide an excellent opportunity for scientists to make an early and impactful start upon their investigations. Note also that the chances of there being undiscovered planet transits in this engineering set are high and the potential for other serendipitous science is great. To this end we have also provided lists of long cadence and short cadence targets with a brief description of why each was observed during the test. For those investigators eager to develop this test data scientifically and those investigators with the enthusiasm to develop new technical solutions for two-wheel photometry, we encourage you to dive wholeheartedly into this data set. A typical file size for one of these target pixel files is 26 MB. The Kepler Science Center will not support this engineering data with future reprocessings, deliveries or new products. However the Kepler Science Center will support questions through the helpdesk regarding this data set on a best-effort basis.