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Hayabusa Probe Fails Landing Attempt

Posted by Zonk on from the so-close dept.

wschalle writes "Yesterday, at 3:46 PM EST the probe successfully dropped a small object onto the asteroid as a touchdown target. JAXA then apparently lost control of the probe for 3 hours. The probe went to an auto-pilot mode during the communications failure, collecting data about its flight and saving it for later transmission. The probe's exact location is unknown, but it is estimated to be between 10 and 100 kilometers from the asteroid at this time. The mission has been troubled by repeated failures, including the loss of a small robotic lander, and a gyroscope failure that was later repaired."

12 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. Close. by Chickenofbristol55 · · Score: 4, Funny
    but it is estimated to be between 10 and 100 kilometers from the asteroid at this time.

    That's kind of like that epidemiologist saying "the deaths from the bird flu could range from 5 to 150 million"

    The point is we have no idea. It's easier that way, trust me.

    --
    public class null extends java applet { System.out.print ("Tabula Rasa"); }
  2. JAXA vs AJAX by middlemen · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hey, is it me, or did I just think that Zonk made a typing error and wrote JAXA instead of AJAX....!! ??
    Or maybe too many AJAX stories have clouded my judgement :)

  3. Heros are good by r3tex · · Score: 1, Funny

    as long as bruce willis is on that spaceship everything'll be fine

  4. uhhhh.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    why did they send a motorcycle into space....

    obviously it wouldn't work....

  5. DRM aboard by k00110 · · Score: 4, Funny
    communications failure
    The sony rootkit was calling home at that time
  6. Heh. by Visceral+Monkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    I blame Mothra.

    --
    *Fortitudo, aequitas, fidelitas.*
  7. Re:Well.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "meat up"? Wha... ...eww. Just forget I asked.

  8. Hayabusa? pfft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Should of used a gsx 1000r. Better handling.

  9. NOOOOO! by Xaositecte · · Score: 4, Funny

    Definantely the work of Jaquio...

  10. oblig Back to the Future Reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Doc Brown: "Unbelievable that this little piece of junk could be such a big problem. No wonder this circuit failed, it says 'made in Japan.'"

  11. lost and found by G-Sil · · Score: 3, Funny

    " the probe successfully dropped a small object onto the asteroid as a touchdown target. JAXA then apparently lost control of the probe for 3 hours. " I still think the object they dropped was really really really important.

  12. Re:I think that 'care factor = 0'.... by ultranova · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...really underscores people's interest in the space program in the United States nowadays. It seems that because Japan is interested in doing -science-, rather than flag-waving, it's not nearly as glamorous. Of course, the same could be said of the U.S. Space Program. George W. Bush said he wants us to go to the Moon again. I haven't heard anything about science in his statement on the topic; merely flag-waving.

    George W. Bush waved a flag and said he wants to take you to Moon again. Japanese produce anime show after anime show where space is full of half-naked hot teenage females who find Earth males irresistible - Outlanders, Urusei Yatsura, Tenchi Muyo - and bad guys that will kill us all if we don't have starships of our own when they find us.

    "Lets spend billions to walk on a dead rock !" versus "Lets spend billions so we get hot alien girls instead of losing ours to tentacled space fiends !"; which do you think is a better selling argument ?-)

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.