I Can't Find The Little Prince

Via Hobbyspace, a long and quite informative article on the Japanese Hayabusa asteroid mission. Much interesting stuff is due to start happening...

After overcoming a host of obstacles, including several life-threatening solar flares on its 1-billion kilometer journey (about 620 million miles), the JAXA spacecraft finally arrived at Itokawa in September.

Currently, Hayabusa -- which means "falcon" in Japanese -- is "hovering" 4.4 kilometers (about 2.7 miles) from Itokawa, as team members put the spacecraft through its final paces and instrument calibrations in preparation for the coming events this month. The schedule is as follows:

November 4: Hayabusa will descend to just 30 meters (about 100 feet) above the asteroid's surface, and release a target marker, followed by the release of Minerva, which will land, then hop about the asteroid collecting data and taking images.

November 12: Hayabusa will make its first "soft" landing and collect its first sample, then return to its "home orbit," and continue studying the asteroid.

November 25: Hayabusa makes its second "soft" landing for its second sample collection, then, once again, will return to its "home orbit," several kilometers above the asteroid.

Click here for a closeup shot of asteroid Itokowa. More stuff here, at the mission homepage. Apparently, today's Minerva landing has been cancelled, pending resolution of a technical difficulty. The probe got within less than a kilometer of the asteroid before aborting.

posted by Justin on 11.04.05 at 07:43 AM





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The Little Prince by Antoine du Saint-Exupery. I remember that story well as a child. I must read it again soon (especially since somebody once called it fascist). It will take a French expedition to find him. The French need a Counter-Revolution. Restore Throne and Altar.



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