The Hayabusa is so well built and reliable that it will stay out for 3 more years. Could a Kawasaki do that. I don't think so. Just leave it out there as the fastest probe in space. Send some Techs and install a Turbo and it will be on it's way.
Updated: 12:17 p.m. ET Dec. 14, 2005
TOKYO - A Japanese space probe launched in an attempt to bring back the first ever rock samples from an asteroid will likely stay in space for three years longer than planned, Japan's space agency said Wednesday.
Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, were initially jubilant after Hayabusa, whose name means "falcon" in Japanese, apparently succeeded in landing twice on the asteroid Itokawa nearly 186 million miles (300 million kilometers) from Earth last month.
After examining data from the unmanned probe, however, JAXA said last week it had likely failed to collect samples.
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JAXA said it had lost control of the direction of the probe due to a fuel leak after the landing, forcing it to delay a plan for Hayabusa to approach Earth and drop a capsule containing the samples into the Australian outback in June 2007.
The return has been put back until June 2010, JAXA said on its Web site.
"We are working on reviving the probe and in the long term, there is still a relatively high chance that we can revive it," the statement said.
But the process would take some time, meaning Hayabusa would likely miss a window of opportunity for moving into the correct orbit for a return to Earth.
Click for related story
The real promise of Japan’s asteroid mission
A successful mission would have been a boost for Japan's space program, dogged by technical difficulties and recently overshadowed by China's successful launch of two manned space missions.
Scientists believe asteroids contain rocks that have remained largely unchanged since the birth of the solar system and might shed light on its origins.
Information about their structure could also be vital if an asteroid were found to be on a collision course with Earth.
© Reuters 2005. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
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Updated: 12:17 p.m. ET Dec. 14, 2005
TOKYO - A Japanese space probe launched in an attempt to bring back the first ever rock samples from an asteroid will likely stay in space for three years longer than planned, Japan's space agency said Wednesday.
Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, were initially jubilant after Hayabusa, whose name means "falcon" in Japanese, apparently succeeded in landing twice on the asteroid Itokawa nearly 186 million miles (300 million kilometers) from Earth last month.
After examining data from the unmanned probe, however, JAXA said last week it had likely failed to collect samples.
Story continues below ↓
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAXA said it had lost control of the direction of the probe due to a fuel leak after the landing, forcing it to delay a plan for Hayabusa to approach Earth and drop a capsule containing the samples into the Australian outback in June 2007.
The return has been put back until June 2010, JAXA said on its Web site.
"We are working on reviving the probe and in the long term, there is still a relatively high chance that we can revive it," the statement said.
But the process would take some time, meaning Hayabusa would likely miss a window of opportunity for moving into the correct orbit for a return to Earth.
Click for related story
The real promise of Japan’s asteroid mission
A successful mission would have been a boost for Japan's space program, dogged by technical difficulties and recently overshadowed by China's successful launch of two manned space missions.
Scientists believe asteroids contain rocks that have remained largely unchanged since the birth of the solar system and might shed light on its origins.
Information about their structure could also be vital if an asteroid were found to be on a collision course with Earth.
© Reuters 2005. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
<!--EDIT|Goldwanger
Reason for Edit: None given...|1134595545 -->
