This is a clear indication that there has been an internal failure within the reaction wheel, likely a structural failure of the wheel bearing. The spacecraft was then transitioned back to Thruster-Controlled Safe Mode.
An Anomaly Review Board concurred that the data appear to unambiguously indicate a wheel 4 failure, and that the team’s priority is to complete preparations to enter Point Rest State. Point Rest State is a loosely-pointed, thruster-controlled state that minimizes fuels usage while providing a continuous X-band communication downlink. The software to execute that state was loaded to the spacecraft last week, and last night the team completed the upload of the parameters the software will use.
こんなこともあろうかと……に期待 部門 (スコア:3, 参考になる)
NASA - Kepler Mission Manager Update [nasa.gov]
スラスター制御により残存燃料を使い切るまでは運用するみたい。
さてイトカワ星人の出番かな。
モデレータは基本役立たずなの気にしてないよ