Hayabusa - The Return To Earth, The voyage home Options

[centsworth_II]

...simlar thrust to a small rodent fart'...

A new unofficial unit of measure? Rodent-fart power?

[brellis]

I think it depends on the rodent. This can't be reliable!

[Guest_cassioli_*]

Is anybody able to summarize current Hayabusa status, i.e. which systems are working and which are not?
I also read that it's not sure if it actually succeeded in collecting samples: is that true? Doesn't exists any telemetry to check this?

[pandaneko]

JAXA appears to have removed one of its website links to its announcement of a successful completion of TCM-2.

What follows is information dated 31 May from JAXA.

24 to 27 May TCM2 was completed. This was the longest TCM operation within the planned operations. The result is satisfactory and the ion engine is behaving OK.

We are right now trying to decide where Hayabusa is upon TCM2 completion. We think, however, that she is flying in the right range for TCM3.

TCM2's original target height was 200 km, however, we have taken into further consideration the attitude control issue due to TCM3 and decided to go for a larger delta V. This means that the height aimed at now is 630 km.

We also ensured that the error margin upon TCM2 in target height is led to be larger than predictable for precaution.

So, I think Hayabusa is still operating.

Pandaneko

[centsworth_II]

... it's not sure if it actually succeeded in collecting samples: is that true? Doesn't exists any telemetry to check this?

The telemetry says that the pellets that were supposed to fire into the asteroid's surface to kick sample into the collector did not fire. The hope is that simple contact with the surface may have knocked some particles into the collector. It may be a slim hope.

[Astro0]

On this coming Sunday our local science centre 'Questacon' will be holding a Hayabusa interactive event.
The Hayabusa project manager, Dr Junichiro Kawaguchi (who will be in Tokyo) and Dr. Trevor Ireland, the only Australian scientist to be involved in the preliminary examination of the return sample, will be taking part in an interactive event with the public via videolink.

I will be going to the event and will try and get a video to post somewhere. Any questions you'd like asked? Send me a PM.

For anyone in Canberra or Melbourne, here are the details

Event: Hayabusa Return Interactive Event
When: Sunday 6th June
Time: 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Where: Questacon – King Edward Terrace, Canberra
Contact: (02) 6270 2800
Cost: Free

Victorian Space Science Education Centre:
Event: Hayabusa Return Interactive Event
When: Sunday 6th June
Time: 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Where: Victorian Space Science Education Centre – Secondary College 400 Pascoe Vale Rd, Strathmore
Contact: Seats are limited. To book a seat email bookings@vssec.vic.edu.au
Cost: Free

[pandaneko]

Perhaps, you may be interested in what Prof Kawaguchi said at a press conference back in December 2005. The press over here has lot interest since then. That is my strong impression.

Pandaneko

ADMIN EDIT: Press Conference transcript...  hayabusa_pressconf.txt ( 17.38K ) Number of downloads: 363

[pandaneko]

I have visited ISAS many times myself on business. Their building is tiny, tiny, so tiny!

So, I had a small laugh when I read today that one female member of Hayabusa team had an urge to sneak out and trot over to the IKAROS operation room next door when she heard an exciting uproar there.

Pandaneko

[charborob]

TCM-3 has started today. Its purpose is to shift the entry target to Woomera Prohibited Area. Hayabusa will be thrusting for 50 hours.
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/hayabusa-live/?itemid=533

[nprev]

This means that they've basically committed to capsule EDL; there's no turning back, I think.

GO HAYABUSA!!!

[helvick]

Seconded -Go Hayabusa - the little spaceship that could - and just about to deliver the first return trip to earth from an asteroid for humanity. Awesome!

[Canman]

News from Woomera via a freind.
The news paper from Roxby Downs and from Coober Pedy carried advertisments stating that the road between Glendambo and Coober Pedy will be closed. Glendambo is south east just out Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA) and Coober Pedy is north of WPA.
It states "A 60 kilometre section of the Stuart Highway will be closed by SAPOL (South Australian Police) from 10PM to midnight on the 13th of June 2010. The sourthern roadblock will be located 60 Km north of Glendambo and the northern roadblock will be located approximately 120 Kilometers south of Coober Pedy."
So things are happening on the ground and in space. Can't wait!

[NGC3314]

I was checking on the possibility of getting an optical detection for Hayabusa on the way in - we see it approaching from the direction of northern Cancer, low in the sky for a couple of hours after twilight for northern observers. The ranges shown by the JPL Horizons system seem too large by the 10th. Anybody know whether their ephemeris has been updated for actual maneuvers?

[akibow]

HAYABUSA finished TCM-3. Now aiming Woomera.

2010/06/05 14:38 JST: TCM-3 operation completed, shift the target from Earth's outer rim to WPA

[nprev]

Whoo-hoo!!!! Great news, Akibow, thank you!

Silly as it sounds, I'm both excited & a bit sad that the incredible story of Hayabusa-san is nearing its conclusion. It's certainly time for him to come home, though.