Posted on 12/05/2020 3:15:26 PM PST by BenLurkin
Locked within the capsule is the first ever subsurface sample from an asteroid. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the 16-inch container had touched down on the flat, ochre plains of the Woomera Prohibited Area more than 200 miles southeast of Coober Pedy at approximately 4:37 a.m. local time (10:07 a.m. PT, Saturday).
The landing is the culmination of a decade of work by JAXA scientists and engineers, and it comes six years after Hayabusa2, which is about the size of a washing machine, departed Earth. The spacecraft travelled over 3.2 billion miles on its journey to near-Earth asteroid Ryugu and back, spending over a year using specialized cameras, radar and an infrared imager to survey the spinning top-shaped rock. On two occasions in 2019, it collected samples from the surface in brief snatch-and-go maneuvers.
The Australian Space Agency and the Department of Defense (DOD) played a significant role in the capsule's safe return. The DOD manages the Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA), a huge swathe of land, about half the size of the United Kingdom, where the capsule was guided after release from Hayabusa2 on Saturday. Road closures kept residents from passing through the region for almost 12 hours, as a precautionary measure.
JAXA engineers tightened the final landing zone to an area about one-tenth that size, with some deft maneuvering while the spacecraft was traveling back to Earth.
The sample entered the Earth's atmosphere moving at about 7.5 miles per second, but as it hit the dense atmosphere it slowed down to around 110 yards per second, throwing off its heat shield and deploying its parachute. After gliding for about 20 minutes, it landed on the red, Mars-like plains of the WPA.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
It’s always a Good Thing when the Tech works out.
When asked about the strange set of tracks leading away from the capsule, the scientist replied “No comment at this time.”
“The Colour out of Space”
Andromeda Strain 2
You got company , Fred. Japanese company.
“is the first ever subsurface sample from an asteroid.”
Wow! Didn’t even know about this mission.
Pretty amazing feat.
Isn’t this the standard opening scene from numerous Jap sci-fi movies?
Eat you hearts out, ChiComs, with your pathetic little moon dust sample mission.
One of their fighter aircraft in WWII was also called “Hayabusa” - built by Nakajima.
Parody of sheldon cooper at Christmas from tbbt.
“Oscar”,
Two things you would not see on an American road: signs on the left side (since they drive on the left in Australia), and a sign warning drivers to be on the lookout for kangaroos.
Better the Japanese than the Chinese...
That’s a long hike for noodles!
BTW, Trump should soon be coming on. I am watching it on Youtube Live. I usually watch on TV, but we are in the middle of a dense snow storm and so have no satellite feed.
There must be over 100,000 people there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_72rtHyIehM
Absolutely!
RFDS Emergency Airstrip, Nullarbor Plain, Australia
You will ride eternal. Shiny and Chrome.
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