Mission: Hayabusa 2 Options

[spdf]

JAXA wants to continue with Hayabusa 2. However there is/was a huge fight about the budget. Main problem was the budget for the launch vehicle. 2 months ago or so there was a report which said, that JAXA had to find another launch vehicle or the project gets cancelled. Now the Italian space agency played saviour and overed the VEGA. So finally we might see another Hayabusa in 2011.


It was mentioned here:
http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/080110Final_IPEWG-ProgramBook.pdf

[Explorer1]

Why would it? The asteroid's gravity is too negligible to hold onto anything and without air resistance, all the particles would fly away at whatever speed the explosion flung them.

[pandaneko]

Why would it? The asteroid's gravity is too negligible to hold onto anything and without air resistance, all the particles would fly away at whatever speed the explosion flung them.

I am not exactly sure what they have in mind. Explosion is isotopic, and to get a maximum directionality push you need an infinite mass sitting behind the explosion, resembling rather like a Chinese frying pan. If you want more then you are talking about a cannon, I think. If you reverse the whole setup you will then get a missile.

In either case they do talk about explosions. So, what are they talking about?

P

[pandaneko]

I am not exactly sure what they have in mind. Explosion is isotopic, and to get a maximum directionality push you need an infinite mass sitting behind the explosion, resembling rather like a Chinese frying pan. If you want more then you are talking about a cannon, I think. If you reverse the whole setup you will then get a missile.

In either case they do talk about explosions. So, what are they talking about?

P

Today, I actually managed to find an answer to this question of mine. It is revealed in a document presented at an annual ISAS conference of almost exactly one year ago. Since it is a short 10 page document I will fully translate it and post it tommorrow, I think.

P