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Japan’s space mission to an asteroid

A Japanese spacecraft called Hayabusa is is now heading to an asteroid. Launch on 9 May 2003, its primary goal is to acquire and verify technology which is necessary to retrieve samples from a small body in the solar system and to bring back them to the earth. Hayabusa spacecraft is equipped with solar powered electrical propulsion system, and autonomous navigation and guidance system. The spacecraft will rendezvous with asteroid Itokawa on October 2005, touch down and take some amount of sample.

The spacecraft will remain with the asteroid for about three months before heading back to Earth. The sample return capsule will detach from the spacecraft and plunge through Earth’s atmosphereon June 2007. After re-entry, the container will parachute to Earth where it can be brought to a lab for study.

Hayabusa in Japanese means falcon. Asteroid Itokawa is named in honor of Dr. Hideo Itokawa, a founder of Japan’s space program.

posted by: kyawoo at 11:05 | link | comments |
asteroids

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