[meteorite-list] Mystery Hiccup Puts Hayabusa on Hold

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Nov 4 14:16:26 2005
Message-ID: <200511041915.jA4JF2p23145_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8271-mystery-hiccup-puts-hayabusa-on-hold.html

Mystery hiccup puts Hayabusa on hold
Maggie McKee
New Scientist
November 4, 2005

An "anomalous signal" from the Japanese space probe Hayabusa forced
mission officials to cancel the probe's planned rendezvous today with
asteroid Itokawa. It is not clear if or when another attempt will be made.

Hayabusa was meant to descend to the 600-metre-long asteroid at 0500 GMT
on Friday to rehearse its autonomous landing technologies in advance of
two sample-collecting touchdowns later this month. It was also going to
release a small robot called MINERVA to hop around the asteroid,
snapping images and taking temperature measurements.

But after the probe began its descent - using an optical navigation
camera and a laser altimeter - the probe sent back what mission managers
call an "anomalous signal". It was at an altitude of about 500 metres
above the asteroid when the rendezvous was called off. Controllers are
yet to release further information about the problem or the mission's
next steps.

The probe has suffered technical problems in the past. Two of its three
stabilising reaction wheels failed on 31 July and 3 October 2005,
respectively. It is now using its single remaining wheel and onboard
hydrazine fuel thrusters to keep itself oriented.

The probe was set to collect samples from the asteroid on 12 and 25
November by briefly touching down, firing a pellet into the surface and
scooping up the resulting debris. After gathering its sample, it was
scheduled to leave Itokawa in December 2005 and then drop the first ever
asteroid samples back to Earth in July 2007.
Received on Fri 04 Nov 2005 02:15:00 PM PST