Japan's Meteor Landing...

[Murcielago]

What was the point of this metor landing Japan program?<br />

 

[telfrow]

Hayabusa? Land on an asteroid, take samples, return them to Earth. <br /><br />There's a lengthy thread in M & L. See: http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=missions&Number=348809&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart= <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[nexium]

In theroy we can establish low cost human habitats on asteroids that almost hit Earth. These have several advantages over Moon or Mars. We do however need more data about typical asteroids, so the data may be increadibly valuable. Neil

 

[nexium]

At the instant of the next global disaster the average asteroid habitat will be more than a million kilometers from Earth, making survial of the colonists probable even if all Earth humans are killed. The habitats need about a century of essentual supplies. Neil

 

[centsworth_II]

The point was to test technologies for advanced propulsion systems (ionic drive) and robotic, self directing probes. The sample return was a scientific goal picked to give direction to the mission, but the main purpose was basically the engineering challange. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[scottb50]

Then what? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>