Hayabusa Mission Topic

[RVHM]

There is only one word which can describe this:

APPLAUSE

 

[andrew_t1000]

Congratulations JAXA!

I just wish I could have gone "north" to add to these images!

Damn turkeys!

 

[EarthlingX]

www.jaxa.jp : Result of Search for the Heat Shield by Helicopter

June 14, 2010 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Following the discovery of HAYABUSA capsule, JAXA searched for the heat shield of the capsule by a helicopter, but has not found it so far.

JAXA will restart searching the heat shield this morning.

*WPA: Woomera Prohibited Area

Mission home page

http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/muses_c/index_e.html

June 14, 2010 Updated
Welcome back HAYABUSA to Earth after overcoming various difficulties!

(Image: Earth image taken by Hayabusa)

The Asteroid Explorer "HAYABUSA" successfully separated its capsule at 7:51 p.m. on June 13 (Japan Standard Time, the following times and dates are all JST,) and re-entered the atmosphere to complete its mission operation at 10:51 p.m.
After the landing, a helicopter searched for the capsule in the Woomera Prohibited Area, and at around 11:56 p.m. on the 13th, its location was confirmed.
For about seven years since its launch by an M-V Launch Vehicle in May 2003, the HAYABUSA successfully completed a great achievement by landing on the asteroid "ITOKAWA," gathering rocks there, and returning to the Earth with them while overcoming various troubles.

 

[3488]

Great video of Hayabusa atmospheric entry, in Japanese though, but still stunning footage.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IAX9Hsloq4[/youtube]

Andrew Brown.

 

[EarthlingX]

Very nice

It's a different angle, and i think it's easier to see mothership and capsule getting separated.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Great video of Hayabusa atmospheric entry, in Japanese though, but still stunning footage.

Andrew Brown.

Wow, that's a great view. Also shows the plasma trail from the reentry capsule which I haven't seen in any others so far.!

 

[the_harper]

Congratulations JAXA! A perfect end to an impressive mission.

 

[mithridates]

This gives me an idea. Considering how many asteroids WISE has discovered (12,000+ new asteroids so far), shouldn't it be fairly easy to find three or so good candidates for a mission involving a number of cheap probes launched at one time that carry out a simple flyby and then return to Earth? Each one would be constructed of a somewhat different material and all they would have to do is fly by and observe the asteroid they've been assigned to, and then make their way back and burn up.

 

[EarthlingX]

This gives me an idea. Considering how many asteroids WISE has discovered (12,000+ new asteroids so far), shouldn't it be fairly easy to find three or so good candidates for a mission involving a number of cheap probes launched at one time that carry out a simple flyby and then return to Earth? Each one would be constructed of a somewhat different material and all they would have to do is fly by and observe the asteroid they've been assigned to, and then make their way back and burn up.

We were discussing variations on the theme in a couple of threads, but can't exactly remember where .. I think it was when discussing Jupiter probes, or Mars, or was it in SB&T ? I'll chew on this for a bit and let you know, if no one else will. MeteorWayne might remember or 3488 ?

Anyways, check this close up :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48eclsiwf6U[/youtube]

and i think we saw this before :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmQsaNRUagA[/youtube]

 

[EarthlingX]

www.jaxa.jp : Retrieving the Capsule completed

June 14, 2010 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has completed the retrieval of the Hayabusa capsule at 4:08 p.m. on June 14th, 2010 (JST).

The capsule is deemed intact at the moment.

 

[EarthlingX]

This is HD version of the above posted close-up :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfYA4f-AIL0[/youtube]

 

[nimbus]

That is so cool...

 

[3488]

Hayabusa return capsule & parachute post landing from the JAXA helicopter.

The scene is lit by a searchight on board the chopper, as it was the dead of night in the Australian outback at Woomera.

Hayabusa Heatshield found & also photographed.

Forward part.

Backshell.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Hayabusa return capsule being retrieved.

Capsule is on it's way to Tokyo, Japan. As soon as tomorrow or Wednesday, when it is opened in a clean room laboratory, we will know whether or not there are samples of Asteroid 25143 Itokawa inside.

Andrew Brown.

 

[nimbus]

Not arguing its properness, but out of curiosity - What specific contingencies are the armored bomb squad getups meant for?

 

[orionrider]

Disarming pyro bolts probably :?:

 

[EarthlingX]

Disarming pyro bolts probably :?:

Good thinking. It's probably just most practical preparation for the 'what if' scenarios, but i wouldn't mind knowing more about it, like what sort of contingency was that meant for.

In the mean time, one more Itokawa, with an interesting last image - size comparison between Itokawa and ISS :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrndmU-2x-8[/youtube]

 

[nimbus]

It would really be cool to see gravity at that scale in action, in motion, with that rubble loosely moving yet trapped by the asteroid's gravity field.

 

[EarthlingX]

It would really be cool to see gravity at that scale in action, in motion, with that rubble loosely moving yet trapped by the asteroid's gravity field.

Sure thing

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.jaxa.jp : JAXA President Comment on Retrieval of the HAYABUSA Capsule

June 14, 2010 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Asteroid Explorer "Hayabusa" was launched from Uchinoura Space Center, Kagoshima, Japan on May 9th, 2003, and touched down on the asteroid "Itokawa" in November 2005. After obtaining the asteroid's surface material, Hayabusa left for the Earth and finally, in early morning of June 13th, 2010, entered the Earth's atmosphere along with the re-entry capsule that the spacecraft detached beforehand. The capsule successfully landed in the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia, and was retrieved by JAXA at approximately 4:08 p.m. (JST) on June 14th, 2010.

It is a great pleasure to see Hayabusa successfully complete the 6 billion km journey, after meeting extreme difficulties that put the spacecraft on the verge of shut down numerous times. We, JAXA, would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Government of Australia, relevant people at the Woomera Prohibited Area, and NASA for their continued cooperation on the Hayabusa project. We would also like to thank the people of Japan and the world, Japanese government, and the media for their warm support and encouragement.

Retrieved capsule will be transported to JAXA Sagamihara Campus in Kanagawa, Japan. First, the sample container will be inspected, and then the content will be extracted for analysis. We hope to find the Itokawa's surface material in the capsule, and contribute to understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system.

 

[orionrider]

:?: This 'loose rubble pile' looks awfully solid to me.
Also it doesn't seem to have been affected by either the probe landing or the thrusters blowing. You can even make out a few recent impact craters on the regolith 'plains'.
I thought even the most gentle contact would disperse a collection of rubble and dust held together by microgravity alone... :?

 

[nimbus]

Gravity there is something like 1/100,000th Earth gravity.

 

[andrew_t1000]

I love the "bomb squad" outfits!
Looks like they have seen "Andromeda Strain" too many times!

After I showed everyone here the re-enty video's, they all agreed we should have gone to Cooper Pedy to watch!

sigh...

At least I've gotten a few of the people here interested in the night sky.

Going to have a little cry now....

 

[BriK]

The returned capsule is being inspected. The cylinder at the center could contain some material from Itokawa:

 

[wildwell]

Next picture! What's inside!?
:shock: