Japan to Launch Asteroid-chasing Spacecraft Tonight: Watch It Live

[bananas]

Source: Space.com

Japan is poised to launch an ambitious asteroid-chasing spacecraft tonight (Dec. 2) on a mission to bring samples of a space rock to Earth, and you can watch the space action online.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch the Hayabusa2 asteroid probe at 11:22 p.m. EST (0422 Dec. 3 GMT) from Tanegashima Space Center, with JAXA officials offering a live webcast of the liftoff.

You can watch the asteroid mission launch webcast live on Space.com, courtesy of JAXA, beginning at 10:25 p.m. EST (0322 GMT/12:25 p.m. JST). At Tanegashima, the local time will be 1:22 p.m. Japan Standard Time on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at launch time. [Japan's Hayabusa 2 Asteroid Mission in Pictures]

The Hayabusa2 mission will send a spacecraft, three rovers and a small lander to the asteroid 1999 JU3, a space rock that is thought to contain water and organic material. It should take Hayabusa 2 about four years to reach the asteroid, then two more years to return samples of the space rock to Earth in late 2020, according to a JAXA mission description.

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JAXA is also streaming live launch views via its website, YouTube and Ustream.

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Read more: http://www.space.com/27885-japan-asteroid-spacecraft-launch-webcast.html

[Rhiannon12866]

1. Thanks! Kicking so folks will see this!

Thanks for the reminder!

[bananas]

3. Orion test flight Dec 4, New Horizons wakes up Dec 6

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/spacecraft-bound-pluto-set-awake-years-launch/story?id=27285504

Spacecraft Bound for Pluto Set to Awake Nine Years After Launch

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is set to awake on Dec. 6 from the last of its 18 hibernation periods and prepare for its initial approach towards Pluto, which will take place on Jan. 15. The spacecraft is scheduled to come as close as 6,200 miles from the surface of Pluto on July 14, 2015 -- the closest any man-made object has come to the dwarf planet. The mission marks the first visit outside Neptune's orbit to the Kuiper Belt, which consists of Pluto and thousands of objects that have not yet been identified, according to Spaceflight Now, a space news website.

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http://www.space.com/27906-nasa-orion-spacecraft-launch-weather.html

Weather Looks Good for NASA's Orion Spacecraft Test Flight Thursday

The Orion spacecraft is set to launch Thursday at 7:05 a.m. EST (1205 GMT) from a pad here at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A huge Delta 4 Heavy rocket, built by the United Launch Alliance, will loft the spaceship on its way, with current forecasts predicting a favorable 60-percent chance of good weather for the test flight.

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The spacecraft has about 2 hours and 39 minutes to get off the ground before the launch window closes for the day, and at the moment officials are predicting a 60 percent chance that weather will be favorable during that time.

NASA officials are somewhat concerned that rain in the area Thursday could delay the launch, however, there is still a high chance that the rocket will be able to launch at some point in the long launch window. Officials also added that everything is looking good with the rocket and Orion ahead of the launch.

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For Orion's first test flight — called Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) — the capsule will be lofted high above Earth, making two orbits of the planet before splashing down and hopefully being recovered in the Pacific Ocean about 4.5 hours later. Officials are also expecting good weather in the splashdown area Thursday.

Orion's second orbit will take it about 3,600 miles away from Earth, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has gone in more than 40 years. Earth will fill about 60 percent of Orion's window when it reaches that high point in its mission, NASA officials said.

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[truthisfreedom]

2. Good luck, Japan! Robotic technology has advanced so far that I've got every hope you can do it!

8^D

[Judi Lynn]

4. Good news. Thanks for the link. n/t