Kepler Spacecraft Hits Trouble

NASA’s search for other Earth-like planets, which is pretty cool, may soon meet an untimely end. The space agency’s Kepler spacecraft, which has been in orbit since 2009 and is charged with scanning the universe for potentially habitable planets, has run into mechanical difficulties, according to astronomers who spoke to The New York Times. One of its wheels is creating too much friction, which could bust the entire operation, and there's only a 50-50 chance of it being repaired. Just last month, the unmanned Kepler spotted two Earth-like planets 1,200 light-years away.