Kepler will no longer be used for planet hunting

BBC : Launched in March 2009, the $600 million Kepler space telescope was designed to find extrasolar planets by measuring the periodic dimming of stars due to planetary transits . Following the failure of the second of its four reaction wheels in May 2013, the telescope lost its ability to maintain the level of stability needed to perform its primary function. And after several months of work, NASA engineers have failed to find a way to restore that functionality. In the time it was operating, Kepler confirmed the existence of 135 extrasolar planets, several of which were super-Earths—planets that are larger than Earth and orbit within the parent star’s habitable zone . Kepler‘s mission was originally planned to end in November 2012. If the space agency decides to continue funding operations for Kepler, the telescope could be used for other purposes, such as observing asteroids, comets, and the explosions of stars.