Comet C/2010 J2 (McNaught)

Comet C/2010 J2 (McNaught)
Originally uploaded by cbellh47

Comet C/2010 J2 (McNaught)
18 x 151 sec
0.3-m f/4.7 Schmidt-Cassegrain + CCD + red filter
Time Stamp: 2010 08 26, 3:41:20 UT
Motion: 1.03"/min in PA 276.2°
Diffuse. Weakly condensed coma
Magnitude: 18.2 N

Comet C/2006 S3 (LONEOS)

Comet C/2006 S3 (LONEOS)
Originally uploaded by cbellh47

Comet C/2006 S3 (LONEOS)
4x272s
0.3-m f/4.7 Schmidt-Cassegrain + CCD + Red Filter
Time Stamp: 2010 08 27, 4:41:18 UT
Motion: 0.60"/min in PA 251.1°
Mag 17.0 N

JAXA Hayabusa-2 mission planned to asteroid (162173) 1999 JU3

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa-2 mission to asteroid 162173 (1999 JU3)  is in the planning stage. The plan is to launch Hayabusa-2 in 2014, land on the asteroid in 2018 and gather surface samples and return to Earth in 2020. The return trip of 2 years versus 6 year total mission time).  The Hayabusa-2  probe will use explosives to make a hole on the asteroid to collect surface materials. JAXA recently announced it submitted a proposal to the country's Space Activities Commission for a less ambitious follow-on to Hayabusa costing about $310 million. The commission and Japanese government will decide the fate of Hayabusa 2 when the JAXA budget is formulated later this year. On Wednesday the trial production of equipment to be loaded on the Hayabusa-2 space probe was approved.

JAXA image

Hayabusa-2 Spacecraft

• ion propulsion
• almost same as first Hayabusa with minor modifications
• flat antenna
• approach involves one Earth swingby
• Minerva 2 - Lander
• sample collection from the asteroid surface with "touch-and-go" approach

Hayabusa-2 and Minerva 2 - Lander (JAXA image)

Orbital diagram of NEA 162173 

(162173) 1999 JU3

• C-type asteroid
• SMASSII spectral class Cg
• expected to contain more organic or hydrated materials than S-type Itokawa
• a = 1.1896212 AU
• e = 0.1902258
• P = 1.30 years
• Apollo or earth crossing Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Potentially Hazard Asteroid  (PHA)
• Discovered 1999-May-10 by LINEAR at Socorro (704)
 

Kyodo News: http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=516945

The Daily Yomiuri - Panel OK's development of Hayabusa successor: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/science/T100805005346.htm

Spaceflight Now - ESA's Cosmic Vision missions depend on priorities abroad: 

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1007/23cosmicvision/

Hayabusa-2 -http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/e/activity/hayabusa2.html#

Asteroid explorer Hayabusa-2  http://b612.jspec.jaxa.jp/mission/e/hayabusa2_e.html