HAYABUSA mission - Page 9

Kullat Nunu · #**241** (**permalink**) 14-April-2007, 09:40 PM

Everything is relative...

Eros looks very smooth compared to Itokawa, but as the final images from NEAR Shoemaker showed its surface is full of boulders like Itokawa's.

Kullat Nunu · #**242** (**permalink**) 24-April-2007, 11:24 PM

Incredible rotating 3D animation of Itokawa.

Kullat Nunu · #**243** (**permalink**) 24-April-2007, 11:27 PM

Apparently the Japanese are going to build a new asteroid mission, Hayabusa 2. Its target will be another tiny asteroid, 1999 JU3.

Launch window · #**244** (**permalink**) 27-April-2007, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kullat Nunu

Incredible rotating 3D animation of Itokawa.

looks great, thanks for this

I hope their next mission has some better luck

Kullat Nunu · #**245** (**permalink**) 27-April-2007, 06:10 PM

Luck in the form of more bucks helps a lot.

ToSeek · #**246** (**permalink**) 30-April-2007, 07:05 PM

Hayabusa starts fully fledged return trip to Earth

Quote:

Since February 2007, JAXA has been carefully preparing to start the fully fledged return trip to Earth using the ion engine and one attitude control reaction wheels (as two of the three wheels are unavailable due to anomalies.) The Hayabusa's return to the Earth is scheduled for June 2010.

We have faced challenges during the preparation, for example, the establishment of the attitude control that can maintain the alignment of the ion engines thrust vector took more time than expected, and more study was required to set up the operation method of the ion engine in consideration of its aged deterioration. We are now ready to start the return cruise operation with countermeasures for these problems.

Therefore, we would like to announce that on 2:30 p.m. on April 25 (Japan Standard Time) the Hayabusa was shifted to the fully fledged phase for the return cruise to Earth.

The operation is still challenging as we have to carefully monitor the conditions of the only active reaction wheel, the ion engine, and onboard equipment. We will operate the Hayabusa with the greatest care and utmost effort.

ToSeek · #**247** (**permalink**) 22-August-2007, 07:44 PM

Successful re-ignition of Ion Engine C onboard Hayabusa

Quote:

On July 28, 2007 a series of the restoration works and a new operation sequence revived the ion engine C again, which are accelerating Hayabusa on behalf of the engines B and D aiming for the Earth return on 2010. Sharing the delta-V duty among the multiple engines will secure a safety flight for the homeward journey.

The text is rather confusing, but the gist, according to Ms. Emily at the Planetary Society is that Hayabusa, once down to one functioning ion engine, now has three.

Nicolas · #**248** (**permalink**) 22-August-2007, 08:15 PM

Is this the apollo 13 of unmanned missions?

The top would be to have actually taken samples, because that's still very uncertain.

ToSeek · #**249** (**permalink**) 22-August-2007, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicolas

Is this the apollo 13 of unmanned missions?

The top would be to have actually taken samples, because that's still very uncertain.

To be a better analogy, I think it would have to not take samples. After all, Apollo 13 didn't accomplish its primary goals.

Nicolas · #**250** (**permalink**) 22-August-2007, 11:14 PM

I thought about that when typing it

.

But still, I hope for Japan that they are able to return the mission and find some samples, if only some dust, but something. Of course, getting it back empty after all the trouble they had would be excellent, but let's hope for even more

.

01101001 · #**251** (**permalink**) 05-November-2007, 07:57 AM

JAXA: Hayabusa Finished First Leg of Orbit Maneuver toward Earth

Quote:

Hayabusa asteroid explorer had been executing the powered flight toward Earth using a single reaction wheel and the microwave discharge ion engines since April this year. The achievement of the first leg of orbit maneuver around the perihelion led Hayabusa into turning off them and shifting the spin mode from three-axis attitude stabilization on October 24, 2007 according to the plan. The ion engines generated 1,700 m/s delta-V with 31,000 hours in total accumulated operational time up to now and still keep good thrust performance and enough propellant.
Hayabusa will fly in ballistic manner with the spin axis tracking toward Sun by the solar pressure torque without any propellant consumption. And it will resume the orbit maneuver in the second leg from February 2009 aiming for Earth return on June 2010. The remaining delta-V toward Earth is only 400m/s.

01101001 · #**252** (**permalink**) 27-November-2007, 01:38 AM

Planetary Society Weblog: "Return of the Falcon," a new animation of the Hayabusa mission

Quote:

JAXA has released a 30-minute video of the Hayabusa mission, "Return of the Falcon," combining computer animation with actual footage of the construction and launch as well as images from the spacecraft of Itokawa. It takes a while to download but is worth a watch.

ToSeek · #**253** (**permalink**) 14-April-2008, 04:06 PM

Crippled probe may send cargo drifting into space

Quote:

Even if Japan's problem-plagued Hayabusa spacecraft makes it back to Earth as planned in 2010, a pointing problem may prevent it from dropping a capsule – which may contain asteroid dust – safely to Earth. Instead, it may send the capsule careening off into space, or hurtling to a fiery death in Earth's atmosphere, mission members say.

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