Akatsuki Venus Climate Orbiter Options

[Paolo]

I thought it was time to start a separate thread on this mission, launching soon
some good medium-resolution images of the spacecraft are available on JAXA digital archives
http://jda.jaxa.jp/jda/p3_e.php?time=N&...mp;mission=4066

[Paolo]

some rare scientific results from Akatsuki's Venus flyby
Characteristic features in Venus’ nightside cloud-top temperature obtained by Akatsuki/LIR
JAXA has a summary (in Japanese only) on the mission webpage

[pandaneko]

some rare scientific results from Akatsuki's Venus flyby
Characteristic features in Venus’ nightside cloud-top temperature obtained by Akatsuki/LIR
JAXA has a summary (in Japanese only) on the mission webpage

Thanks, Paolo

What follows is the first of my translation which may last for a few more days. This actually comes from ISAS (now part of JAXA) web pages.

[11 May 2012]

It is almost 2 full years since the launch on 21 May 2010. Thank you for your continuing interest in Akatsuki.

2011 for our Akatsuki operation team was filled up with new challenges, such as the firing test of the damaged main engine, reduction of the probe mass by releasing the oxidiser, orbit changes by the smaller attitude control engines.

We are still preparing ourselves for the 2015 re-union, but at the same time we have been making the best use of this period and conducted a few observations such as "Looking at Venus from 1300X 10,000 km", "Solar uki has corona observation by shatting up radio waves (My translation can be very wrong, P)", and these have been reported at various international meetings.

Akatsuki is very fortunately flying without any hithces. Here, now, we offer our sincere apologies for the lack of information over the past 12 months. What follows is , albeit very brief, our account of the orbital control operation since the autumun of last year.


"Akatsuki's new orbital plan"

Akatsuki started its new orbital journey in November 2011. By firing 4 small attitude control engines for a long time indeed, 3 times over the period and it managed a delta V approx. 240 m/s and entered into an orbit which ensures an encounter in November 2015.

(end of translation of this particular session)

After this there are a few more remarks which we already know from my past translations. The point of this article is (I think) that Akatsuki is still flying healthy and we may even get scientiffic results in 2015.

P