The Kepler space telescope suffered another failure and things are looking bleak. 🙁

From its orbit around the sun 40 million miles from Earth, the Kepler space telescope stares toward the Cygnus constellation, watching for planets that might reveal themselves by passing in front of any of 100,000 or so stars. The telescope has already revolutionized how astronomers view the universe, discovered more than 2700 exoplanet candidates, and increased the odds that we might someday find life beyond Earth. But a malfunction might doom the instrument and turn it into space junk.

The Kepler telescope has to maintain its position almost perfectly while it hunts for new worlds. Even something as subtle as the stream of photons from the Sun can knock it askew, so to keep the scope on-target, the spacecraft has four reaction wheels at its base. Last week, however, NASA scientists reported that Kepler’s reaction wheel 4 isn’t working. It’s the telescope’s second reaction wheel to malfunction, and NASA says Kepler needs at least three of its four reaction wheels to keep looking for planets.

Source: Popular Mechanics

I haven’t posted much about science recently but this marvel of technology has been found so many planets in the last 4 years and it would be a shame if it comes to an end. The more habitable plants we can find the better, just imagine the possibilities… If it is the end, thank you Kepler Space Telescope for all you’ve done for astronomy and the world of science!