Hayabusa Post-Landing & Science Results Options

[nprev]

The capsule began its return to Japan a few moments ago as I write this. Seems like a good time to start a new topic for the much-anticipated final results of this epic mission.

[brellis]

thanks for everything you're doing to help, Panda Cat!

[pandaneko]

I am feeling duty bound to share the exitement, really, because JAXA web pages tend to be so slow in updates. I am well aware that there are people out there who want to have minute to minute information.

I will be replying to Andrey (?) from Russia separately with direct links to Japanese newspapers carried in English. I had never thought about them. Other people from now on can refer to them and I will no longer need to translate.

They will be the Japan Times, the Asahi Evening News, and a few others, I think.　Anyway, there is a bit more news that I found tofday (8 July). I do not remember where from. It was picked up my Google setup.

JAXA found yet more than 100 of 10 micron size grains inside the chamber A, which was kept open for the second landing. At least a few of them are being sent out to NASA right now, and one each to other academic institutions.

All other major Japanese newspapers today carried similar stories about these newly found 100 or so grains. From what they say I am inclined to think at least some people within JAXA now think that some of them did come from Itokawa.

Pandaneko

[stevesliva]

JAXA found yet more than 100 of 10 micron size grains inside the chamber A, which was kept open for the second landing. At least a few of them are being sent out to NASA right now, and one each to other academic institutions.

All other major Japanese newspapers today carried similar stories about these newly found 100 or so grains. From what they say I am inclined to think at least some people within JAXA now think that some of them did come from Itokawa.

This sounds like fantastic news!

[pandaneko]

I got this news just before falling asleep.

Apparently, JAXA has since found more than 1,000 grains, perhaps inside the chamber A. Chamber B has not been opened yet.

I want to hear what NASA has to say, really...

Pandaneko

[pandaneko]

I am getting a bit weary of uploading my stuff one after another, but this thought might be of interest.

The capsule had been kept in class 100,000 environment, both in the clearn room at ISAS and at the assembly site pre-launch. Given the volume of the cannister (or one half of it) my back of envelope calculation tells me that potentially there can be as many as 20,000 of 5 micron size terrestrial particles in there.

However, we have not heard anything of that kind so far. Therefore, I am convinced that they purged them before launch and rotated the rotating door so that any more terrestrial particles would not get in.

If they can rotate the shutter door at Itokawa (We know they did) they must also have done it in flight in deep space while they still had enough electrical power, because we know that the collection chamber(s) were exposed to vaccum in flight. They must have opened the door before closing it again at Itokawa.

So, once again I think they came from Itokawa...

Pandaneko