[meteorite-list] Analysis of Hayabusa Samples Will Wait Until 2011

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:30:18 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201009291930.o8TJUIxf015059_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1009/29hayabusa/

Analysis of Hayabusa samples will wait until 2011
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
September 29, 2010

PRAGUE -- Scientists won't know whether Japan's Hayabusa probe actually
returned asteroid dust until at least February or March, when
researchers finish extracting microscopic particles from the craft's
return capsule and complete an exhaustive analysis to verify their origin.

In a presentation at the 61st International Astronautical Congress here,
Hayabusa's project manager said he is optimistic the hard-luck $200
million mission returned at least some traces of asteroid material from
the surface of Itokawa, the potato-shaped rubble pile object the probe
visited in late 2005.

The trick is distinguishing the precious samples from contamination from
Earth.

"Many of the particles are probably Earth particles," Kawaguchi said
Wednesday. "However, some of the particles were probably captured at the
asteroid."

Inside an ultra-clean room at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's
curation facility at Sagamihara, workers garbed in special bunny suits
have been slowly extracting particles from one of two chambers inside
the sample return canister.

The capsule fell back to Earth in June, touching down within 500 meters
of its planned landing site at the Woomera protected area in Australia.

Kawaguchi said his science team found "tens of particles" in Chamber A
of the canister. The tiny particles are being removed one-by-one in an
extraction process that is stretching longer than anticipated.

Analysis of the samples will not begin until at least December,
according to Kawaguchi.

"We will transmit any scientific update when it's available," Kawaguchi
said.

Scientists still have not opened Chamber B, which likely holds more dust
and asteroid residue than the container officials are already examining.

Chamber B should have been exposed to more asteroid material because of
its location on the sample collection system. It lies on the side of the
spacecraft that touched Itokawa with the most force during its time at
the asteroid, Kawaguchi said.

Officials hope the force kicked up rocks and dust and funneled the
samples into the collection device.

The opening of Chamber B is scheduled for October, Kawaguchi told
Spaceflight Now.

Hayabusa was designed to gather several hundred milligrams of material
if the sampling procedure went as planned, but the craft's projectile
gun did not activate when it approached the asteroid.

Kawaguchi, who guarded his optimism before Hayabusa landed, now openly
says he believes scientists will ultimately prove the mission returned
pieces of an asteroid.

"Even a micron-sized particle can be sliced into bits and pieces and
analyzed," Kawaguchi said.
Received on Wed 29 Sep 2010 03:30:18 PM PDT