NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute collaborated on an effort to observe the Earth re-entry of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa sample return capsule. Hayabusa was an asteroid exploration mission that retrieved a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa. Its sample return capsule re-entered over the Woomera Prohibited Area in southern Australia on June 13, 2010. Being only the third sample return mission following NASA's Genesis and Stardust missions, Hayabusa's return was a rare opportunity to collect aerothermal data from an atmospheric entry capsule returning at superorbital speeds. NASA deployed its DC-8 airborne laboratory and a team of international researchers to Australia for the re-entry. For approximately 70 seconds, spectroscopic and radiometric imaging instruments acquired images and spectra of the capsule, its wake, and destructive re-entry of the spacecraft bus. Once calibrated, spectra of the capsule will be interpreted to yield data for comparison with and validation of high fidelity and engineering simulation tools used for design and development of future atmospheric entry system technologies. A brief summary of the Hayabusa mission, the preflight preparations and observation mission planning, mission execution, and preliminary spectral data are documented.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Airborne Observation of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    AIAA Thermophysics Conference ; 2011 ; Honolulu, HI, United States


    Publication date :

    2011-06-27


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Airborne Observation of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry

    J. H. Grinstead / P. M. Jenniskens / A. M. Cassell et al. | NTIS | 2011


    Airborne Observation of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule Re-entry

    Grinstead, Jay / Jenniskens, Peter / Cassell, Alan et al. | AIAA | 2011


    Airborne Observation of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry

    Grinstead, Jay H. / Jenniskens, Peter M. / Cassell, Alan M. et al. | NTRS | 2011


    Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule Re-entry

    Snively, Jonathan / Taylor, Michael / Jenniskens, Peter et al. | AIAA | 2012


    Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule Re-entry

    Snively, J. / Taylor, M. / Jenniskens, P. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2012