Japanese space probe`s capsule picked up in Australian desert

WOOMERA, Australia, June 15 Kyodo -
A tiny capsule released by Japan's Hayabusa unmanned space probe was picked up
Monday in an Australian desert, possibly containing the first asteroid surface
samples after the probe's successful seven-year voyage was completed Sunday,
the Japanese space agency said.
The capsule ''bears no damage at all,'' said Hitoshi Kuninaka, professor at the
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, commonly known as JAXA, after visiting the
site to pick it up.
''Though it was flipped vertically, maybe because of a bounce on landing, it
caused no inconvenience. It was left very clean'' as the heat-resistant
structure functioned well, Kuninaka said, referring to the round-bottomed
pan-shaped capsule, 30 centimeters in diameter, 15 cm in height and about six
kilograms in weight.
On Monday afternoon, eight researchers arrived near the site by helicopter.
After checking to see if the capsule was free of hazardous materials such as
explosive, it was placed inside a container and was taken to an operations'
base.
It is expected to arrive in Japan on Friday for a careful study to confirm
whether it contains any substance from the asteroid Itokawa, about 300 million
kilometers from Earth across the sun. Even if any substance is found, it would
take until around September for JAXA to determine it belonged to Itokawa.
Hayabusa, meaning falcon in Japanese, made an unprecedented round trip to an
astronomical body other than the moon.
After leaving Earth in May 2003, Hayabusa came back after landing on Itokawa in
November 2005. It traveled some 6 billion km, surviving a series of
technological problems that often threatened its return and put it three years
behind schedule.
While the spacecraft itself burned out after reentering Earth's atmosphere, it
freed the special heat-resistant capsule three hours before the reentry, and
the capsule landed with the aid of a parachute in the desert around Woomera in
southern Australia. Because the location is owned and considered sacred by
Australian Aborigines, JAXA obtained their permission to engage in a set of
activities to pick up the tiny object.
JAXA scientists found the capsule in a helicopter search prior to recovering it.
While Hayabusa is believed to have failed to collect rock samples from Itokawa,
sand could have entered the capsule due to the impact of the landing, agency
officials said in the hope of finding a substance that would help them
understand the origin and evolution of the solar system.
Moon rocks have been brought back to Earth, but unlike asteroids, which are
believed to be records of the early stages of the solar system, the moon has
metamorphosed so it provides little clue about materials in the system's
initial stage, according to JAXA.
Japan's top government spokesman congratulated the successful mission Monday,
saying it ''gave us courage, dream and hope.''
''We would like to share the joy for this preeminent feat'' with those who are
concerned, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku told reporters.
The successful mission of Hayabusa, which cost 12.7 billion yen to develop, has
put Japan ahead of the world in terms of comprehensive solar-system exploration
technology, said Yasunori Matogawa, a senior JAXA official involved in the
project.
JAXA also released a photo of Earth taken by Hayabusa immediately before
plunging into the atmosphere late Sunday night. The space probe took the photo
with the same camera used for taking photos of Itokawa. The agency had been
worried about whether it could successfully reboot the camera which had been
turned off to save energy after photographing the asteroid.
Numerous technologies were employed in the demonstrator spacecraft during its
trip to prepare for full-fledged space exploration in the future. They included
the use of advanced ion engines, autonomous navigation to an asteroid, landing,
sample collection, and the return flight to Earth.
Itokawa is an asteroid in an orbit near Earth and Mars, discovered in 1998 by
researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and named after the
late Japanese rocket scientist Hideo Itokawa. Hayabusa landed on the asteroid
twice in November 2005.
Hayabusa experienced serious problems such as fuel leaks, a communication
outage for about three months, and engine trouble, but its project team came up
with counter measures every time, such as obtaining propelling power for one
engine by combining two broken engines, leading many people to write messages
in support of the mission on the JAXA website.
Officials said the mission not only brought scientific and technological
achievements but also gave chances to young scientists and engineers to learn
and grow through the experience, sometimes coming up with measures to deal with
the problems.
No further scientific exploration plans have been authorized by the government
so far, but experts are calling for development of the next explorer, saying it
is crucial for keeping the experience and knowledge alive.
==Kyodo