[meteorite-list] Hayabusa Update - January 25, 2007

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:41:26 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <200701290241.SAA26416_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000839/

Hayabusa update
By Emily Lakdawalla
The Planetary Society Weblog
January 25, 2007

With the help of Hideo Fukumori at JSpace, I've received
an update on the status of Hayabusa, the Japanese mission
to retrieve a sample from an asteroid, from the Japanese
science journalist Shin-ya Matsuura. Matsuura said
(translated from the Japanese by Fukumori):

   Preparation for the return trip is currently under way.
   From what I heard, recharging the damaged battery,
   which has been considered to be the most risky part,
   is almost done. The next critical step will be
   closing the sample capsule using power supply
   from recharged battery. Successful execution of
   that step will move Hayabusa a lot closer to the
   return trip to the Earth. Considering that the return
   trip operation should be started in February, I guess
   they will attempt to close sample capsule by the end
   of this month (January) and make a press release. Or,
   Prof. Kawaguchi might hold a press conference in February
   to announce the start of return operation instead.

   They are planning to achieve 3-axis stabilization with
   the remaining Z-axis wheel. Attitude control will be
   done with gimbal movement of ion engine and/or release
   of xenon gas. That means attitude control will not be
   very precise and "the trajectory of return trip is
   expected to be fairly jagged (Prof Kuninaka, JAXA)".
Received on Sun 28 Jan 2007 09:41:26 PM PST