Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft returns to Earth after asteroid visit (video)

Japan's plans for sending robots to the moon may still have to wait another decade or so, but the country's space program can now claim another pretty huge victory -- its Hayabusa spacecraft successfully returned to Earth on Sunday after visiting an asteroid to collect samples. That end to the spacecraft's seven-year mission occurred somewhere in the Australian outback and, as you can see above and in the video after the break, it was quite a sight to behold. Despite appearances, however, the breaking up of the spacecraft was actually part of the plan, and Hayabusa's main return capsule is said to have made it to Earth intact -- although it's still not clear if the capsule actually contains any samples of the asteroid. Scientists should know what they have on their hands soon enough, though -- the space agency says it expects to retrieve the capsule sometime on Monday.

[uckApple Posted Jun 14th 2010 4:46AM]

SO UR TELLIN ME, THAT WASNT A WISHING STAR, AND THAT MY WISH WONT COME TRUE!?

WTF..

[Glitch Posted Jun 14th 2010 4:47AM]

Phew! It missed my house!

- Sent from Australia

[Bahumbug Posted Jun 14th 2010 4:48AM]

Dear Engadget,

Have you ever heard of linking to other websites (your source links) in a way that it opens it on a new tab/window instead of leaving engadget.com? Its getting really annoying having to either backpedal every time I follow a link or manually open it in a new tab, which I often forget simply because 9 out of 10 websites do it right (you being that one doing it wrong in my opinion).

[Zylam Posted Jun 14th 2010 5:05AM]

@Bahumbug

pal why are you living in 2006? Chrome - Middle - Click - Baam.

No baby mouse with lappy? Ctrl - Click - Baam.

Its so integrated with life i had to make sure it was real since i'd never thought about any of this for years but do it everyday.

[Shiori Posted Jun 14th 2010 5:09AM]

@Bahumbug
I always middle-click the links so they will open in new tabs. Not that much of a problem to me. :)

[Glitch Posted Jun 14th 2010 5:13AM]

@Bahumbug
No. The user should choose if they want a new tab/window open, not the website.

[Schmerzlichtod Posted Jun 14th 2010 6:07AM]

@Bahumbug
In HTML you can force the user to open a link in a new window, modern day browsers translate this to tabs, rather than opening a new window entirely.

When you leave that code at it's root it will open in the same tab/window you're in.

Now days the more enlightened user just entirely controls this, regardless of the code, Zylam just told you how.

You should reevaluate who's doing what wrong. ;)

[noyourmom Posted Jun 14th 2010 9:21AM]

@Bahumbug

tab mix plus?

[GeneralThade Posted Jun 14th 2010 12:58PM]

@Schmerzlichtod

I 2nd this request. Regardless of middle click, clicking links should open a new tab like every other well-designed website. My trackpad does not have a middle click button.

[engadgetcomexcludeengadget Posted Jun 14th 2010 1:16PM]

@Bahumbug Maybe you should learn how to use computer shortcuts. I guess it's to much for the editors to expect computer literacy from their users.

[uShak Posted Jun 14th 2010 5:00AM]

Hmph! Pretentious Fool.

[uShak Posted Jun 14th 2010 5:02AM]

@uShak

Damnit, wrong character quote...

[dero Posted Jun 14th 2010 5:04AM]

Sow now there could be some kind of alien virus on our planet?

Or what about if robots come here to collect the part of the "All Spark" we stole from them?

[klondikebar Posted Jun 14th 2010 5:17AM]

Dear God, it looks like even an American conquered country like Japan will be surpassing the USA in space exploration not too long from now.

[samisax Posted Jun 14th 2010 6:34AM]

@klondikebar

You shouldn't even bring up Japan. They are the only country that was ever nuked. And by America. Who for some reason is now the big ethical reference on nuclear technology.

It blows my mind. Excuse the pun.

[GeneralThade Posted Jun 14th 2010 1:12PM]

@samisax

You don't think of modern day Germans as evil Nazis do you? America acknowledges that use of nukes on Japan was a mistake, but it was a different world environment then. I bet these San Francisco hippie liberalists (who love the smell of their own farts) would have wanted fierce vengeance on Japan had they been around in 1941.

Anyway, Japan could surpass the US in space exploration in the next 50 years, but it's not likely. US is too far ahead. On the other hand, if there's one thing Japan's good at (other than making penis-shaped Popsicles and portable restroom prank gameshows) its taking a technology that another country developed and improving design and manufacturing (e.g. cars, electronics.).

[xnox Posted Jun 14th 2010 5:39AM]

And after another 7 years of research they will discover that samples were rubbish and another spacecraft needs to be sent.

[Hoo Posted Jun 14th 2010 10:16AM]

@xnox
There won't be any samples, just a note saying sorry but the samples are on another asteroid

[JGGJ Posted Jun 14th 2010 6:28AM]

Amazing to see that they can still retrieve the capsule when it looked like the whole thing exploded when returning into our atmosphere.

[Sherifftruman Posted Jun 14th 2010 8:47AM]

@JGGJ The one small dot you see in front if and below the main sparkles is the capsule. It has a heat sheild and was ejected prior to the main craft breaking up. Eventually it opened it's chutes and presumably came to earth slowly enough that it remained intact.

This mission is so awesome. I have been following it for years. It's too bad that there was no way to get a look at the main craft. That thing "accidentally landed" on a freaking asteroid and had a dozen other problems and still made it back to earth with lots if work from ground controllers. (and if course the preplanning that allowed it's propulsion to be reconfigured remotely)

[KAL326 Posted Jun 14th 2010 9:54AM]

Hayabusa Smart42>Hayabusa spacecraft

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPQIizRp9ck

[UnixSystemsEngineer Posted Jun 14th 2010 10:45AM]

Yes, but did it have slap and a 4-foot chrome swingarm?