Some updates on the Hayabusa spacecraft that went to asteroid Itokawa, now on its way home, from the article...
Japan's $100 million Hayabusa spacecraft could return to Earth as early as June 2010 if controllers can safely fire the craft's ion engines...The voyage is currently expected to begin in late March, said Hayabusa project manager Junichiro Kawaguchi.
Japan's $100 million Hayabusa spacecraft could return to Earth as early as June 2010 if controllers can safely fire the craft's ion engines...The voyage is currently expected to begin in late March..."We lost chemical fuels and thrusters aboard. We had lost two (reaction) wheels already. The spacecraft lost the battery as well. But the operation team made a great effort to restore the spacecraft," Kawaguchi said.
A sudden disturbance several weeks later cut off communications with the probe for more than six weeks and forced managers to postpone the start of the trip to Earth by a year. Officials blamed the loss of communications on a chemical fuel leak, and ground stations later established contact with Hayabusa.
Since regaining communications with the spacecraft, controllers have worked to bake off leaked fuel believed to have been deposited on the exterior of the probe. Ground stations also uplinked new attitude control software to help save xenon propellant used by the ion propulsion system. Ground teams also recently reconditioned Hayabusa's lithium batteries and closed the lid of the return capsule.
"Asteroid sampler spacecraft could attempt trip home"
Stephen Clark
Spaceflight Now
Posted: 11 February 2007
Link: Article
No comments:
Post a Comment