Hayabusa - The Return To Earth, The voyage home |
Hayabusa - The Return To Earth, The voyage home |
Nov 28 2005, 03:08 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 510 Joined: 17-March 05 From: Southeast Michigan Member No.: 209 |
...starting a new thread for Hayabusa's sampling feedback and the return voyage.
After its nail-biting success in November, will there be enough fuel for the Falcon to make it home? -------------------- --O'Dave
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Dec 1 2005, 04:18 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 350 Joined: 20-June 04 From: Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. Member No.: 86 |
If Hayabusa's thrusters persist in being only half-useful, traveling with the asteroid until it gets closer to Earth may be the only choice - unless of course they won't be able to generate enough thrust before Earth flies away regardless.. Yet another cliffhanger.
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Dec 2 2005, 08:34 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
QUOTE (mike @ Dec 1 2005, 05:18 AM) If Hayabusa's thrusters persist in being only half-useful, traveling with the asteroid until it gets closer to Earth may be the only choice - unless of course they won't be able to generate enough thrust before Earth flies away regardless.. Yet another cliffhanger. Mike: Er, probably not a good idea. Hayabusa will be expected to travel on some strange variant of a Hohmann minimum-energy orbit (with both Earth's orbit and that of the asteroid being gently touched at start and end of the mission). A 'strange variant' because it's flightpath is constantly altering under the influence of it's ion engines, and active control of the spacecraft (a la SMART-1) will be crucial during the return. So, unlike a traditional 'single impulse' trajectory (with perhaps a couple of tweaking burns halfway or so) Hayabusa can't be left dormant during cruise but will require good communications and good attitude control throughout. You can't get round this by 'hitching a ride' on a nearby asteroid! Bob Shaw -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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