NASA's Kepler Spacecraft Forced To Give Up Planet Hunting And Rest

NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler, is in serious trouble.

A second wheel on the spacecraft has malfunctioned, leaving it in a perilous spinning state high above our planet. Without the wheel, Kepler will have to give up its planet hunting and enter a fuel-saving rest state.

"With the failure of a second reaction wheel, it's unlikely that the spacecraft will be able to return to the high pointing accuracy that enables its high-precision photometry," the Kepler Team said in a statement.

Luckily, the space administration has not made the decision to end the spacecraft's mission. Instead, NASA approved a plan to force the spacecraft to enter "Point Rest State" in order to conserve fuel. Kepler is equipped with enough fuel for months, but in Point Rest State, the spacecraft can sustain itself for years and maintain continuous communication with NASA on an X-band frequency. The Point Rest State software was uploaded onto Kepler's computers last week.

After reviewing data, the Anomaly Review Board concluded that the problem stemmed from wheel 4, possibly a structural bearing failure. Kepler is equipped with four wheels to help it pinpoint possible exoplanets. One wheel already failed back in July 2012, and the malfunction of a second wheel puts the spacecraft's future up in the air.

However, NASA is still optimistic.

"Even if data collection were to end, the mission has substantial quantities of data on the ground yet to be fully analyzed, and the string of scientific discoveries is expected to continue for years to come," NASA said.

NASA's Kepler telescope spots new planets by catching them as they pass in front of the star they orbit. The transit causes the star to briefly grow dimmer. Kepler has confirmed 132 planets so far.

You can learn more about Kepler and its search for habitable planets at the official website.