Japanese asteroid probe deploys micro-robot (however Minerva appears to be lost in space)

Pravda ^ | November 12, 2005

[snowsislander]

23:39 2005-11-12 A landing craft from the Japanese space probe Hayabusa is expected to land on Itokawa as part of the first ever mission to land on an asteroid.

The names of people from Liverpool are among about a million gathered globally which have been inscribed on an aluminium sheet on a landing robot.

It is thought the names will lie on the asteroid for about one billion years.

They were gathered by the Planetary Society of Japan as part of the mission, which aims to gather samples of space dust, reports BBC News.

According to Space.com, taking some 12 hours to descend closer and closer to theasteroid -- starting at roughly 4,600 feet (1.4 kilometers) altitude from the center of Itokawa -- the spacecraft reached a hovering distance over the space rock. The craft then released a small robot toward Itokawa's surface. There was no immediate word on the condition of the robot after deployment.

After release of the robot, Hayabusa began propelling itself to a higher altitude above the asteroid.

Ejected by the Japanese space probe during the close encounter was the MIcro/Nano Experimental Robot Vehicle for Asteroid, or MINERVA for short.

The tiny 1.3 pound (591 grams) device is a hopping lander, outfitted with cameras to take images up-close of the asteroid's rocky surface. In addition, a target marker was also deployed, falling onto the asteroid. That hardware will assist in Hayabusa's landing on the body in order to carry out sampling operations.

[snowsislander]

It appears from later reports that the mini-probe Minerva failed to hit the surface after being launched from Hayabusa.

Asteroid-hopping robot misses its mark

[boomop1]

Must have premature ej, oh never mind.

[brivette]

bummer.

[SIDENET]

It is thought the names will lie on the asteroid for about one billion years.

Is that all? What a ripoff.

;-)

[Prospero]

as part of the first ever mission to land on an asteroid

In their dreams... taking nothing away from the Japanese advanced space program, Pravada is full of it...

America's NEAR landed on Eros years ago, as a bonus after it's extensive survey.

[SunkenCiv]

Hayabusa lander misses target
NEO Information Centre (UK) Latest News
http://www.nearearthobjects.co.uk/news_display.cfm?code=news_intro&itemID=273

"an unexplained glitch caused the probe to be released while Hayabusa was pulling away from asteroid Itokawa at a height of 200 metres. The asteroid's relatively low gravitational strength is too weak to have pulled the probe toward it from such a distance, and now MINERVA is thought to be drifting in space."