Hayabusa To Begin Long Journey Back to Earth 92
Sparky writes "Japan is planning to set the Hayabusa spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth next month after a delay of more than a year, but it's far from certain that it will get back safely. It was supposed to retrieve asteroid debris, but it's thought that a computer error prevented that from happening. A fuel leak means that its chemical thrusters are out of action, and the craft is relying on its weaker ion engines. The journey back will take 3 years, and the capsule will be on Earth in June 2010 — even if it is empty."
Re:obligatory (Score:3, Informative)
Maybe we need a 40 page Wikipedia entry to clear this up.
Re:Why not park it in high orbit? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Why not park it in high orbit? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Hayabusa bikes :) (Score:3, Informative)
Hayabusa is Japanese for a very fast-flying bird, similar (identical?) to a Peregrine Falcon.
-b.
Re:Oh I see... so it's not a motorcycle (Score:2, Informative)
Correction (Score:4, Informative)
From Deep Space 1;