It's analogous to the HiRISE imaging of Phoenix and MSL ( and unfortunately missed imaging of InSIGHT ) during EDL.


It's just damn cool.

Yes, in the sense of 'rocket science'. It won't tell us anything about Earth or the planets, but emission during entry is of interest for understanding the aerothermodynamics of atmosphere/heat shield response to hypersonic entry. There have been several campaigns of (mostly ground-based, but some airborne) observations of re-entries - Hayabusa 1 (much more spectacular than 2 will be, since the 'mother ship' entered as well), I think Stardust, and some of the ESA Ariane Transfer Vehicles returning from ISS.

I was awarded time on HST to try to look for the Huygens entry on Titan (this would have been a spacecraft observation of an entry!), but the STIS instrument failed a few months before the observation was to be executed, so it didnt happen. Frank Crary IIRC got time on HST to observe Cassini EOM, but the timing didnt work out (HST on the wrong side of the Earth)

It appears that 1998 KY26 is the final target.
The illustration comparing it with Hayabusa 2 in this release really gives a sense of scale

Similar results as for Bennu (Vestoid fragments on the surface) appeared (in English) in the same issue of Nature Astronomy, September 21..

They are also discussed on the Hayabusa2 website (but only in Japanese).

Unlike Bennu, on Ryugu have been found fragments of S-type asteroids (ordinary chondrites).
In addition, there are also bright fragments of rocks with indications of thermal metamorphism, which probably come from different parts of Ryugu's parent body...


I think that the analysis of delivered samples in the laboratory will require caution in drawing conclusions as to the nature of Ryugu himself, and probably also of Bennu!
They may contain a lot of "exotic" material!

as above - now in English

JAXA has released a new Hayabusa2 extended mission video (English version): here and here (540 MB)

Thanks for the link, I completely forgot that they still have one target marker and one "bullet" they can fire from the sample collector! If there is an extended period near the asteroid, there might even be a chance to test the gravity tractor theory of asteroid deflection. Could the mass of something so small, with virtually non-existent gravity, even be measured to any degree?

I feel (but not sure) that Hayabusa2, due to its design for a completely different purpose, is not a suitable spacecraft for the "gravity tractor" experiment.
1. For example, it does not have sufficiently sensitive instruments (?).
2. The target asteroid (1998 KY26) is so small and distant that it is a great challenge to measure from Earth the possible extremely small effect of changing its orbit.
3. In addition, this experiment requires a really long operation of the ship's engines in the gravitational field of the asteroid. I don't know how much fuel (ionic and conventional) will remain in the Hayabusa2 tanks after many years of flight, correction maneuvers and the asteroid's "orbit insertion". But I'm afraid there will be too little for this experiment...

But seeing this strange object up close will be very interesting. If this is a "standard rubble pile", why has it not broken up into a cloud of debris by extremely fast rotation (and therefore strong centrifugal force) with minimal gravity? It must be something very interesting and different from the conventional models of internal structure of asteroids. Maybe it's just a huge boulder in space?!

As a curiosity, it can be added that if 1998 KY26 were a sphere, then for an astronaut with a height of 1.8 m, the horizon line would be at a distance of less than 7.5 m!
(according to the formula: horizon distance = square root of the sphere diameter times the height of the observer (all in meters); √D x h (in meters), where: D - sphere diameter in meters, h - observer's height in meters)

For Curiosity rover's Mastcam on the surface of 1998 KY26 the horizon would be only approx. 8 m from the rover! Pretty limited field of view

Yes, the tractor is probably implausible. I do wonder how 'station-keeping' works at something so small. Solar pressure is undoubtedly a major factor when compared with the asteroid's own gravity.

It will be more like the parallel flight of two spaceships than orbiting.

And the solar radiation pressure should be quite disturbing to the orbit of such a small asteroid itself (over a long period of time).

[With a diameter of 30 m, the mass of 1998 KY26 (depending on density: from 0.5 to 5 g/cm3) should be between 7,000 and 70,000 t (metric ton). That is between 17 and 170 times more than ISS and between 14,000 and 140,000 times more than Hayabusa2 (approximately, if I did not make a calculation error ]

"Information on observing the re-entry capsule" on the JAXA website (in English, pdf with the application)

Picture of Hayabusa2 taken by the Subaru Telescope on November 20, 2020 (point of light in the center of the image). The spacecraft was 5.8 million kilometers away.
From here.
© Subaru Telescope, NAOJ

5 days until arrival of Hayabusa2 - currently 1.9 mln km to Earth

New reporter briefing - November 30, 2020, in English - pdf:
- Results from TCM-3 (orbit control correction)
- Details of capsule separation and re-entry
- Preparation status for capsule collection


Timeline:

Capsule separation: December 5, 14:30 JST = December 5, 5:30 UTC (Earth distance 220,000 km)

Capsule atmospheric entry: December 6, 2:28~2:29 JST = December 5, 17:28~17:29 UTC (altitude 120 km)

Parachute deployment: December 6, 2:31~2:33 JST = December 5, 17:31~17:33 UTC (altitude 11~7 km)

Capsule landing: December 6, 2:47~2:57 JST = December 5, 17:47~17:57 UTC

Hayabusa2 capsule separation operation online relay:
12/5 (Sat) 13:30 ~ 16:40 (max. ext. 17:30) JST = December 5 (Sat), 4:30 ~ 7.30 UTC
Japanese:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRuXaH
Simultaneous English translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiP1rGR6CRM

Hayabusa2 capsule Earth return online broadcast:
12/6 (Sun) 02:00 ~ 03:10 (max. ext. 03:30) JST = December 5 (Sat), 17:00 ~ 18:10 UTC
Japanese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k85mY76WO2w
Simultaneous English translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UngQqiEWxQ

The press conferences will also be broadcast online on YouTube.
・ Before capsule collection, Dec. 4 (Fri) 16:00 ~ JST = December 4 (Fri), 7:00 UTC
・ After capsule collection, Dec 6 (Sun) 16:30 ~ JST = December 6 (Sun), 7:30 UTC
JAXA official channel list: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAhnRoLLxjp7saH0xsH9yxQ
JAXA Sagamihara channel list: https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/outreach/announcements/002507.html

The English translation links are in Japanese for me...

English for the capsule separation here:

https://youtu.be/zw_ZUQeMQww

Full English playlist here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAOO...pWjEmxEfj_CgCqP

Thank you Explorer.

Capsule Separation Operation: "Everything is successful and great"

„Kyoto University's Seimei telescope was able to capture pictures of Hayabusa2 and the separated capsule”

https://www.kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp/general/fa...busa2_20201205/

video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CqTDwUu5LU

picture - Credit: Kyoto University Okayama Astronomical Observatory (I translated the annotations):

Pictures of Hayabusa2 and the separated capsule were also taken by another telescope - 103 cm reflecting Kirat telescope at Astro Park in Tottori City - https://www.city.tottori.lg.jp/www/contents...9585/index.html

Mission Control Live: Hayabusa2 Capsule Reentry Operation (with English translation) starts now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq_6FRV91Hs...eature=youtu.be

20 minutes to get into the atmosphere

10 minutes to entry

Good luck, little bird!

Just saw it on the stream! Now in dark flight...

capsule

capsule

Beacon detected! Applause in the control room.

the parachute is open

capsule from another camera

and another shot

has already landed, but where? (they're still looking for it - it's good that the military area is closed )

Hayabusa2 keeps going and it's OK

JAXA stated that they're not going to start recovery ops till local sunrise, about 90 min from now (around 1800 GMT).

1. "Today (12/6) at 03:07 JST, as a result of the beacon direction search, the capsule landing point has been estimated. Now, we will search by helicopter."

2. "In Woomera, a helicopter took off at 03:17 JST to look for the capsule."

https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa

Lest some wombat bury the capsule in the burrow

Time is very important here, because there is always a risk of leakage and thus the impact of the Earth's atmosphere

Footage from the ISS of the main spacecraft flyby is here (13:27 onward), clearly visible against the background stars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVDp5ansfCo...ature=emb_title

I think the fixed spots in that video must be hot pixels, not stars? Since they stay fixed even while the focus is evidently changing and the pointing evidently changes (by hand?). I don't see any other (moving) point features apart from the obvious one.

Still pretty cool that it was visible from the ISS at all, though. Here's Soichi Noguchi saying he saw it.

"Today (12/6) at 04:47 JST, as a result of the helicopter search, we found a capsule in the planned landing area!"

Waiting for the photo of the capsule...

capsule reentry video from the stream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq_6FRV91Hs...eature=youtu.be

At Woomera, collection work began at 6:23 (JST) at the re-entry capsule landing site. - https://twitter.com/haya2_jaxa/status/1335335862742130688

"Today (12/6) 7:32 (JST), the capsule collection work at the landing point was completed. From now on, we will start shipping to the local headquarters." - https://twitter.com/haya2_jaxa/status/1335352429882183680

I feel (although I may be wrong) that we will not see photos of the capsule until the press conference, which was planned for December 6, 7:30 UTC


Edit: from twitter: "Asahi. I've practiced a lot for today. I'm glad I finished it safely ... The work as a DFS team is over, but the capsules are collected until I bring them back to Japan! I will deliver the state of the capsule tomorrow. First of all, thank you for your hard work (Recovery Team M)"
https://twitter.com/haya2_jaxa/status/1335356614639931392

("tomorrow" - of course in JST)


Edit2:
1. Official translation of the above post: "Morning sun. We practiced a lot for today and I am glad it ended safely. The work as a DFS team is over, but the capsule is not collected until it is brought home to Japan! Thank you, everyone (Collection Team M)" - https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa/status/1335360546602844160
[This sentence has disappeared in the English version: "I will deliver the state of the capsule tomorrow."]

2. New post: "Today (12/6) at 08:03 JST, the helicopter carrying the capsule arrived at local headquarters and the capsule was brought inside the building."

In 6 hours:
Press Conference on Hayabusa2 Earth Return: Capsule Post-Recovery - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fQGsBKnH-U...eature=youtu.be

In this Australian Space Agency post there is a photo of the personnel carrying the box containing the capsule from the helicopter to the building in Woomera TR - https://twitter.com/AusSpaceAgency/status/1...376557947248642

"Today (12/6) 11:13 (JST), as a result of helicopter search, we found a front heat shield in the planned landing area." - https://twitter.com/haya2_jaxa/status/1335410762878050305

Edit: at 12:31 JST they also found a rear heat shield - https://twitter.com/haya2_jaxa/status/1335431551908081667

I believe this is the interior of the capsule.

Edit yes it is. See these images:
https://ssl.tksc.jaxa.jp/space/return/press...aterials_201206

a picture (by me) of the Hayabusa sample capsule release and spin mechanism

From the press conference: the capsule is in perfect condition.

Congratulations JAXA!!!

(PS. The only question left is: what's inside?)

PDF with images posted by Humgry4info (English version)

Edit capsule:

I wonder why the top of the capsule is blackened - due to the fireball or the firing of explosives for the rear shield and/or parachute?

Edit: I've just found the answer to my own question :
this sooty portion protruded from the rear heat shield during the flight through the atmosphere

From Hayabusa2 twitter - https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa

1. This morning (12/7 JST), the recovery team confirmed that the sample container was properly sealed and completed the gas sampling work. We analyzed the collected gas, but it is still unknown whether the gas originates from the Ryugu sample. Detailed analysis will continue in Japan!

2. The Hayabusa2 capsule that landed in Woomera, Australia yesterday, will be shipped to Japan by transport aircraft today (12/7) from Woomera Airport at 22:30 JST (24:00 local). Arrival at Haneda Airport is scheduled for 6:45 JST on 12/8. Finally, the capsule will be back in Japan!