Latest Hideo Itokawa Stories

Alan McStravick for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online The year was 1998. The Red Hot Chili Peppers had just parted ways with Dave Navarro. The world was introduced to Britney Spears. And the movie Armageddon bested all other films at the box office. It seems fitting that the same year that gave us Michael Bay’s fictional interpretation of how we should deal with an asteroid coming towards us would be the same year that the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project...

TOKYO -- A Japanese space probe that landed on the surface of an asteroid last month may have failed in its mission to collect rock samples that could give clues to the origin of the solar system, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said on Wednesday.The agency earlier said the probe, called Hayabusa -- Japanese for "falcon" -- had succeeded in the delicate task, which scientists likened to landing a jumbo jet in a moving Grand Canyon.The agency said on Wednesday, however,...

TOKYO -- The future of a Japanese space probe carrying the world's first samples from an asteroid was in doubt on Tuesday, after it suffered problems with its chemical thrusters and temporarily lost contact with ground control.Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) were triumphant at the weekend when Hayabusa, whose name means "falcon" in Japanese, appeared to succeed in landing on Itokawa and scooping up a rock sample after an epic two and a half year...

By George Nishiyama TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese space probe made history on Saturday when it landed on the surface of an asteroid and then collected rock samples that could give clues to the origin of the solar system. The probe, called Hayabusa -- Japanese for "falcon" -- succeeded in the delicate task which scientists have likened to landing a jumbo jet in a moving Grand Canyon. It was its second and final attempt. After analyzing data transmitted from the unmanned probe, the Japan...

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese probe is readying itself to make a fresh and final attempt to land on the surface of an asteroid and pluck up rock samples, a delicate task officials on Friday said was like trying to land a jet in the Grand Canyon.The space probe, called Hayabusa -- Japanese for "falcon" -- will make history if it successfully returns to earth with the world's first samples from an asteroid.Officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said they plan to...

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese space probe on a mission to bring back the first rock samples from an asteroid is preparing to make a fresh attempt to land on its target, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials said on Friday. The officials said they plan to land the unmanned probe on the asteroid, nearly 300 200 million miles from earth, shortly after 7:00 a.m. on Saturday (2200 GMT on Friday). "It is moving closer and closer to the asteroid. It is about 20 km (12 miles) from...

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese space probe on a mission to bring back the first rock samples from an asteroid is preparing to make a fresh attempt to land on its target, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials said on Friday.The officials said they plan to land the unmanned probe on the asteroid, nearly 300 million km (200 million miles) from earth, shortly after 7:00 a.m. on Saturday (2200 GMT on Friday)."It is moving closer and closer to the asteroid. It is about 20 km (12...

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese probe on a mission to bring back the first rock samples from an asteroid landed briefly on its target on Sunday but did not drop the equipment for collecting surface material, Kyodo news reported on Wednesday.Scientists from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had said earlier the unmanned probe failed to touch down on Itokawa, nearly 300 million km (186 million miles) from earth.After a voyage of 2- years, the space probe stayed on the surface of the...

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese probe on a mission to bring back the first rock samples from an asteroid landed briefly on its target on Sunday but did not drop the equipment for collecting surface material, Kyodo news reported on Wednesday. Scientists from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had said earlier the unmanned probe failed to touch down on Itokawa, nearly 300 million km (186 million miles) from earth. After a voyage of 2- years, the space probe stayed on the surface...

TOKYO -- Japan's space agency said Wednesday its spacecraft had successfully touched down on an asteroid 180 million miles from Earth despite an earlier announcement that it had failed.On Sunday, JAXA officials had said the Hayabusa probe, on a mission to land on the asteroid named Itokawa, collect material, then bring it back to Earth, failed to touch down after maneuvering within yards of the surface.However, the agency said Wednesday that data confirmed that Hayabusa had landed on the...