Akatsuki fails to enter Venus orbit

A serious malfunction occured as the spacecraft was braking for Venus
orbit; the engine was confirned to have begun firing but contact was not
regained on time as it emerged from behind Venus, when it was found to
be in a safe mode but not in Venus orbit.

Initial report is that around 7 years must pass before the probe is
potentially in position to reattempt picking up its mission. Or an
alternate mission, maybe.

Like Nozomi, a tough setback for the Japanese planetary program.


--Damon

On 12/7/2010 11:10 PM, Damon Hill wrote:

Initial report is that around 7 years must pass before the probe is
potentially in position to reattempt picking up its mission. Or an
alternate mission, maybe.

Like Nozomi, a tough setback for the Japanese planetary program.

I blame the machinations of the Mysterians for both of these failures.

Dr. Kenjiro Adachi
Tokyo Observatory

On Dec 8, 2:10*am, Damon Hill wrote:
A serious malfunction occured as the spacecraft was braking for Venus
orbit; the engine was confirned to have begun firing but contact was not
regained on time as it emerged from behind Venus, when it was found to
be in a safe mode but not in Venus orbit.

Initial report is that around 7 years must pass before the probe is
potentially in position to reattempt picking up its mission. Or an
alternate mission, maybe.

Like Nozomi, a tough setback for the Japanese planetary program.

--Damon

wonder if its orbit could meet any convenient comets or asteroids?

On Dec 7, 11:10*pm, Damon Hill wrote:
A serious malfunction occured as the spacecraft was braking for Venus
orbit; the engine was confirned to have begun firing but contact was not
regained on time as it emerged from behind Venus, when it was found to
be in a safe mode but not in Venus orbit.

Initial report is that around 7 years must pass before the probe is
potentially in position to reattempt picking up its mission. Or an
alternate mission, maybe.

Like Nozomi, a tough setback for the Japanese planetary program.

--Damon

That's extremely unfortunate.

Hope they have something bigger and better as their plan-B.

~ BG

On Dec 8, 4:07*pm, " wrote:
On Dec 8, 2:10*am, Damon Hill wrote:

A serious malfunction occured as the spacecraft was braking for Venus
orbit; the engine was confirned to have begun firing but contact was not
regained on time as it emerged from behind Venus, when it was found to
be in a safe mode but not in Venus orbit.

Initial report is that around 7 years must pass before the probe is
potentially in position to reattempt picking up its mission. Or an
alternate mission, maybe.

Like Nozomi, a tough setback for the Japanese planetary program.

--Damon

wonder if its orbit could meet any convenient comets or asteroids?

That's a good one, because nearly every day something of a significant
comet/asteroid either orbits nearby or encounters the sun.

~ BG