Japan Probe Making Second Try at Asteroid (Hayabusa)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 11/21/05 | AP - Tokyo

[NormsRevenge]

TOKYO - A Japanese space probe is heading back toward an asteroid for a second landing attempt after failing to touch down over the weekend, space agency officials said Monday.

Communications between the Hayabusa probe and Japan's space agency, JAXA, have returned to normal after the vessel inexplicably stopped just yards from the asteroid Itokawa on Sunday.

The probe, which also botched a rehearsal earlier this month, is on a mission to briefly land on the asteroid, collect material, then bring it back to Earth.

Officials will analyze data from the probe Tuesday to find out what went wrong in Sunday's attempt. A second landing attempt is planned for as early as Friday, according to JAXA spokesman Toshihisa Horiguchi.

On Sunday, Hayabusa dropped a small object as a touchdown target from 130 feet above the asteroid and then descended to 56 feet, according to JAXA.

At that point, ground control lost contact with the probe for about three hours, JAXA officials said.

The probe switched to auto-control, storing data about itself and later transmitting it to ground control to be analyzed.

"We're not so discouraged ...The fact that the probe went so close in itself is a major achievement, and it also showed we've overcome the past problems, " JAXA Associate Executive Director Yasunori Matogawa said.

The probe's current distance from the asteroid was not immediately known, Horiguchi said.

Officials earlier said the probe was believed to have retreated as far as 60 miles from the asteroid.

The mission has been troubled by a series of glitches.

The rehearsal earlier this month was aborted when the probe had trouble finding a landing spot, and a small robotic lander deployed from the probe was lost. Hayabusa also suffered a problem with one of its three gyroscopes, but it has since been repaired.

Hayabusa was launched in May 2003 and has until early December before it must leave orbit and begin its 180 million-mile journey home. It is expected to return to Earth and land in the Australian Outback in June 2007.

[NormsRevenge]

In this photo released by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the part of asteroid Itokawa is seen with the shadow of probe Hayabusa, center, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005. JAXA said Monday, Nov. 21, 2005, that a probe is now under control and is heading back toward the asteroid for a second touchdown effort despite a failed attempt over the weekend. The Hayabusa probe has regained its posture after signal exchanges with the ground control have returned to normal, but it's exact distance from the asteroid is not immediately known, said Toshihisa Horiguchi, spokesman for Japan's space agency JAXA. The agency is aiming to conduct a second landing attempt as early as Friday, he said. (AP Photo/Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, HO)

[NormsRevenge]

Meanwhile, halfway to Mars..

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is seen in this illustration released by NASA. The NASA spacecraft, launched aboard an Atlas V rocket in August for the 310-million mile journey, is halfway toward Mars where it is expected to collect more data on the Red Planet than all previous Martian explorations combined. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter successfully fired its six engines for 20 seconds last week to adjust its flight path in anticipation of a March 2006 arrival. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL)

NASA Spacecraft Is Halfway Toward Mars

[Frank_Discussion]

Very Cool! I thought they had lost the probe, so this is great that they can try for a landing again. Chalk one up for the Robofolk.

[NormsRevenge]

Hayabusi probe retry ping

[DTogo]

Japan * ping * (kono risuto ni hairitai ka detai wo shirasete kudasai : let me know if you want on or off this list):

[Southack]

Very cool.

[AFPhys]

The gravity is so light this is more like a velocity matching maneuver than a landing.

[Southack]

"The gravity is so light this is more like a velocity matching maneuver than a landing."

It still seems complicated, especially grabbing a sample and returning it home!

[Paradox]

Awesome! I had feared the worst for this little spaceship that could :) Here's hoping they get what they came for.

[Vinnie]

more pics
http://www.enterprisemission.com/

[snowsislander]

It still seems complicated, especially grabbing a sample and returning it home!

Yes, the touch-and-go maneuvers are quite complex since this asteroid is also spinning in a very pronounced fashion with a period of about 12 hours:

Source: JAXA/ISAS

But time is pressing --- the return window will close soon, and Hayabusa will not be able to return if it doesn't start back soon.