Hayabusa probe observations

[daniela]

Is someone planning to photograph Hayabusa probe? It should soon start to be feasible.

Also, following the reentry (visually, photographically, spectrographically) is a unique opportunity.

Daniela

[Moon]

It would be an interesting target. It's due on 13 June.

Perhaps the mods can move this to the 'events' forum.

[daniela]

Some more info:
http://www.hayabusa.isas.jaxa.jp/e/index.html
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/j/topics/topics/2010/hayabusa_obs.shtml

Sorry, it is in Japanese, but it has the ephemerids and a contact to ask for computing ephemerids for predicting in other locations.

Hayabusa is expected to be about mag. 16, due to the solar panels attitude constraint. (See the figure that shows approach to the Earth, marked with "Sun direction".)

[astroron]

In the top link it says comes in over Glendambo city SA :question: I had never heard of this city so as you do I googled it, it is a small place way out in the SA bush with a population of 30 ,200,000,000 plus flies, 22,000 sheep:lol::lol:

[iceman]

Does anyone think we'll see the Hayabusa re-entering tonight?

Apparently it's due to hit at Woomera at around midnight.

[Lester]

It would be good to know what trajectory it will enter the atmosphere from.

[bird]

It will be travelling west to east to minimise atmospheric heating - ie travelling the same direction as the earth is rotating. So people west of Woomera might have a chance to see something... If it ends up anywhere near me then it's very lost :-)

cheers, Bird

[Blue Skies]

Someone posted a link the trajectory in another the many threads this event has generated, I think in the Chat section. It comes in over the NW cape and through the interior towards Woomera, supposedly landing on the western side of the highway. It will come in at a fairly steep angle, too, so I get the idea - and I might be wrong, here - that only those near the landing site will get to see much.

[fringe_dweller]

hi, didnt get to go in the end, long story, ah well, it is a mother of a drive if its a fizzer of some sort! i'll watch it online with you guys :)

from one story i read online, the fridge sized mother craft continues on for a little bit after dropping off the basketball sized capsule (assuming it separates from larger craft, and there is some conjecture whether the mechanism/ explosive charge is still in working condition i read) - which the graphics are not depicting i presume, maybe broken hill/ border area might get it? lol

are they little more accurate than they were in skylab days?, after all that was supposed to land in indian ocean, not in WA southern outback! hehe

[fringe_dweller]

hey they couldnt of planned a more remote unpopulated area flightpath if they tried!, the swines!, damn nanny state at work again? BOOO!

[mickkk]

Re entry vid from NASA DC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Xp_-_gLTA

From Brass taps, almost wetting emselves and a great view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6h98Z-V5Rw

[glenc]

Here is some more info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10285973.stm
The image "Hayabusa streaks across the sky with the Milky Way in the background" was taken when looking north.
Hay a bus a crosses CrB in the image and the trail points to Denebola (beta Leonis). Saturn is above Denebola.

See also: http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/muses_c/index_e.html

[Liz]

Been checking on reentry when it cam on the telly, and the news crew got some spectacular footage!!!! What a sight it must have been for those that gathered at Woomera. :)

[glenc]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10307048.stm

The Japanese space capsule which landed in the Australian Outback on Sunday night (local time) has been recovered.
The Hayabusa pod was picked up by a helicopter team and transferred to a control centre on the Woomera Prohibited Area.
The canister, which is believed to hold the first samples ever grabbed from the surface of an asteroid, will now be shipped to Tokyo.
The Japanese space agency (Jaxa) says the capsule looks to be intact.

[Analog6]

Yes, it looked great on the tellie!