MUSES-C Launched

Anonymous Coward writes "If all goes well, Japans MUSES-C asteroid probe will be bringing back samples from an asteroid in less than five years. Launched friday afternoon at 1:29 pm (local time) the probe should reach its target in June of 2005. The MUSES-C probe will collect surface samples of asteroid 1998SF36 totaling 1 gram, including sand and stone fragments, two years later before returning to the Earth in June 2007, researchers said."

How will they retrieve the samples?

[robslimo]

OK, Apolloa 17 brought samples back from the moon, but astonauts more or less hand carried them back. How are the Japanese exepecting to get their samples back? I never heard of a space probe designed to return anything back to earth, so I'm curious. Are they going to drop the craft back to earth on a trajectory that minimumizes re-entry heating?

1 gram?

[ChiefArcher]

for the millions of dollars this thing is probably costing... and only 1 GRAM!?!? geez.

You think they'd think of something better to do.

Something cool would be..
A) Collect a few pounds
B) Fly back to earth orbit...
C) Catch up with the ISS
D) Grab said payload
E) Transport it back to earth on the next shuttle mission..

IANARS (I am not a rocket scientist)

ChiefArcher

Soviets Did This

[karnat10]

Back in 1970, in SOVIET RUSSIA, they successfully returned samples from the moon to earth, no astronauts involved. Check it out here:

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog? sc=1970-072A