HAYABUSA mission - Page 3

Vilkata · #61 (**permalink**) 07-October-2005, 05:29 PM

But this thing is meant to hop "great distances" accross the asteroid. Actually propel itself into the 'air'. Not just rolling across the ground. Sorry, I'm sure you understand it, but I'm still having trouble grasping my mind around it.

---Vil.

ToSeek · #62 (**permalink**) 07-October-2005, 05:54 PM

Keep in mind that Hayabusa's gravity is so low that you could probably propel yourself to escape velocity just by sneezing. The energy needed for a tiny hop on Earth could take you tens of meters on Hayabusa.

Jerry · #63 (**permalink**) 07-October-2005, 07:10 PM

Even using jerry-rigged physics, it takes equal and opposite forces to hop on a gravimetrically binding surface. A gyroscope-like torque would have to flex or torqure the housing slightly to initiate the hop. (Otherwise, souped-up 'People Movers' would be levatating by now, not to mention flying carpets)

Sticks · #64 (**permalink**) 08-October-2005, 05:32 PM

Moderator: merged in from separate thread, link has additional info.

Quote:

Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft, designed to collect a sample from an asteroid and return it to Earth, has lost the second of its three "reaction wheels".

From the BBC website

ToSeek · #65 (**permalink**) 08-October-2005, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry Jensen

Even using jerry-rigged physics, it takes equal and opposite forces to hop on a gravimetrically binding surface. A gyroscope-like torque would have to flex or torqure the housing slightly to initiate the hop. (Otherwise, souped-up 'People Movers' would be levatating by now, not to mention flying carpets)

I'm not sure that's necessarily true, but it probably does, anyhow, as the torque presses the side of the probe against the asteroid.

Jerry · #66 (**permalink**) 19-October-2005, 06:37 PM

There is an update of the Jax site, but I don't see any new information. (Posted to keep the Haybus from falling off the radar - there should be new stuff soon)

Speaking of falling off the radar, I don't even remember the name of the Japanese/American Xray camera that lost its supercool. Where is the thread?

01101001 · #67 (**permalink**) 26-October-2005, 11:33 PM

JAXA: Today's Hayabusa

Last update 2005/10/25(JST)

Quote:

Distance from Earth : 294,651,680km
Distance from Itokawa : 4.5km

(It looks like they are finally creeping a little closer.)

Orbital Evolution of Asteroid Itokawa (via JAXA Space News)

Quote:

Summary

Itokawa existed in the inner part in the asteroid belt, and it was in a certain resonant state or in the region where the orbit crosses that of Mars.

Itokawa is in an orbit that approaches the earth and Mars. The orbit motion is strongly chaotic and we can trace its orbit only for about 200 years.

Itokawa most probably collides to Sun or planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars). In a small probability, it remains alive more than 100 million years, or its orbit becomes larger than that of Jupiter. The probability of the collision to the earth is about once in one million years.

Jerry · #68 (**permalink**) 27-October-2005, 02:57 PM

http://www.jaxa.jp/news_topics/visio...yabusa1_e.html

Quote:

HAYABUSA Mission In Progress, getting attention around the world
HAYABUSA will showcase its leading-edge planetary-probe technology to the world.

The photo of the opposition surge is impressive...I wish they would publish more detail as this clever and exciting mission progresses - how are the reaction wheels behaving?

01101001 · #69 (**permalink**) 28-October-2005, 04:09 PM

JAXA: Today's Hayabusa

Last update 2005/10/27(JST)

Quote:

Distance from Earth : 293,869,920 km
Distance from Itokawa : 3.4km

Quote:

*The tour for a global mapping has been completed.
*Returned to the initial point of the HP.
*Detailed observations on sampling site candidates start.

(This data and that in other articles, courtesy of JAXA, per their Web Data Citation Policy! Thank you, JAXA.)

Hayabusa succeeded to observe the "opposition surge" of Itokawa!

Quote:

The phase angle was abour 35 degrees for the left image and less than 1 degree for the right image. The Hayabusa camera team confirmed the "oposition surge" through careful inspection of these images.

01101001 · #70 (**permalink**) 01-November-2005, 07:40 AM

JAXA: Today's Hayabusa

Last update 2005/10/31(JST)

Quote:

Distance from Earth : 292,449,880 km
Distance from Itokawa : 3.8km

Quote:

first day of preparation for a rehearsal of touchdown

Current Status of Hayabusa, October 27

Quote:

In order that the flight can be carried out and completed until the return to the Earth, the fuel consumption required for stabilizing the attitude has to be reduced, and a strenuous effort has been poured to devise the strategy including a number of firing tests in vacuum on the ground. A new control scheme making the firing impulse enough small has now been developed assuring the attitude control resolution to be well managed. [...] The Hayabusa project team concluded the flight operation until the return to the Earth is feasibly performed, as long as the existing instruments and hardware aboard continue working normally as they are.

The proximity operation assumed in November next month consists of one Rehearsal Descent plus two Touching-downs for sampling. They are scheduled as follows:

Rehearsal Descent November 4th,
1st Touching-down for sampling November 12th,
2nd Touching-down for sampling November 25th.

November 1 update (from JAXA Space News), including picture of Itokawa, with detailed topography due to low sun angle: All around a small world!

foefoe · #71 (**permalink**) 01-November-2005, 11:21 PM

ISAS/JAXA
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/

It's exciting!
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/j/snews/2005...hayabusa.shtml
(It's Japanese, English one maybe come soon!)

Superluminal · #72 (**permalink**) 02-November-2005, 04:31 AM

Really starting to look like a rubble pile.

01101001 · #73 (**permalink**) 02-November-2005, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foefoe

http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/j/snews/2005...hayabusa.shtml
(It's Japanese, English one maybe come soon!)

This seems to be the English version (with the same great pictures):

Hayabusa's Scientific and Engineering Achievements during Proximity Operations around Itokawa

Quote:

The first site candidate is the regolith expanse in the middle of Itokawa, known as the MUSES-SEA area (Fig. 11), and the second candidate site is the Woomera desert (Fig. 12)at the tip end of Itokawa, where the terrain is broad and flat. The rehearsal target is the area located close to the spin axis, a little east of the first site. The date and time of the planned events (Japan Standard Time) are listed below.

1. Rehearsal Descent November, 4th, 14 o'clock,
2. 1st Touch-down November, 12th, 15 o'clock,
3. 2nd Touch-down November, 25th, 15 o'clock.

publiusr · #74 (**permalink**) 02-November-2005, 09:32 PM

It makes me want to get out my old TONKA truck...

Spacemad · #75 (**permalink**) 03-November-2005, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 01101001

This seems to be the English version (with the same great pictures):

Hayabusa's Scientific and Engineering Achievements during Proximity Operations around Itokawa

I went along for a look - it had been more than a week since my last visit - the images were certainly outstanding! (thanks for the link) They are so clear & full of detail. I think these images will help the Japanese team to decide where to set down their lander to scoop up some samples to be returned to Earth in the New Year.

I wish them all possible luck in their mission! I look forward to hearing about the results.

ToSeek · #76 (**permalink**) 03-November-2005, 06:04 PM

Hayabusa probe prepares to punch an asteroid

Quote:

Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft is set to perform the first of three daring rendezvous with a small asteroid on Friday, as planetary scientists puzzle over close-up images of the space rock.

The probe has been hovering above the 600-metre-long asteroid Itokawa since 12 September 2005, mapping most of its surface to a resolution of less than 1 metre. Now, the spacecraft is preparing to carry out its dramatic scientific mission, which involves swooping down to the surface three times in order to return the first asteroid samples to Earth in 2007.

01101001 · #77 (**permalink**) 03-November-2005, 08:58 PM

JAXA: Today's Hayabusa

Last update 2005/11/03 (JST)

Quote:

Distance from Earth : 291,513,230 km
Distance from Itokawa : 3.0km
*The day before for a rehearsal of touchdown

They have a link to LIVE from Deep Space Control Room of ISAS(JAXA) on the page, that so far has a blog with a couple test messages on it. From the looks of the URL it will also have control-room video of the touchdown rehearsal on November 4, 10:00-16:00 JST (01:00-07:00 GMT, Nov. 3 17:00-23:00 PST -- I think).

MINERVA explores the surface of ITOKAWA is a one-page description of the Minerva rover:

Quote:

Using the onboard camera of HAYABUSA, the best image surface resolution of ITOKAWA was 30 m during the global mapping phase and will be 1 - 2 cm during the touchdown operation. On the other hand, the cameras on MINERVA have a image resolution of less than 1 mm when they observe 10 cm distance objects and can observe minerals making up a rock.

Edit: The control-room blog is working. Descent has begun. At 15:30 PST they are within 2000 meters.

01101001 · #78 (**permalink**) 04-November-2005, 12:32 AM

1700 meters at 8:45 JST (15:45 PST, 18:45 EST, 11:45 GMT)

Edit: Almost 17:00 PST now and I see control-room video at LIVE from Deep Space Control Room of ISAS(JAXA)

Edit: At 17:50 PST, Hayabusa was at approximately 1000 meters. The blog includes a few (small) almost-live navigation images -- none as dramatic as the images recently published.

01101001 · #79 (**permalink**) 04-November-2005, 04:43 AM

A log message in Japanese leads me to believe the release of Minerva and the target marker might have been aborted. I can't puzzle out a reason except for "abnormality".

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAXA Hayabusa log via Google Translation

The fall which this day is to be planned inspected abnormality folds became the discontinuance the case of GO/NOGO judgement. Also Minerva discharge and target marker discharge became the discontinuance.

Oops. The English version was just posted:

Quote:

Due to a detection of anomalous signal at GO/NOGO decision, today's descent, including release of MINERVA and the target marker has been canceled.