NASA is trying to revive the Kepler telescope
Space agency NASA engineers are working on a plan to recover the function of the space telescope Kepler, so that this month was able to resume work associated with the search for exoplanets. in May of this year, NASA reported that 2009 was launched in space Telescope lost the ability to use one of its reaction wheels necessary for the proper orientation in space. Now the machine respond to commands from Earth, but uncontrollably revolves around the Earth in a given orbit.
At the same time, filling the entire scientific telescope went into safe mode and disconnected to avoid damage. Shortly after the failure of the first wheel, and down came the second. NASA said that if three of the four wheels telescope still somehow can navigate in space, with the two he already completely unworkable. Now engineers maintain radio contact with the unit and try to find a way to return to work at least one of the broken wheels.
NASA said that one of the wheels has stopped damage to the mechanical nature. Simply put, the wheel got stuck. The second wheel is not working for some reason and engineers now read the data on it. Nevertheless, NASA said that they are not going to throw Kepler, and believe that its potential is far from exhausted. At NASA's Earth has a special laboratory, where the double Kepler, on which you can work out the process of repair.
NASA said that if they manage to find a solution to the orientation of the telescope, the Kepler will last about four years. Recall that the telescope began its work May 12, 2009, exploring about 100,000 pre-determined stars. During this time, the telescope has found the order of hundreds of exoplanets. Over the three years of the telescope "Kepler" made important and even sensational discoveries, for example, were discovered planets the size of Earth and smaller. By mid-May 2012, they were discovered more than 2,740 candidates in the world, with more than 132 research was confirmed by different research groups
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