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Observations with Near Infrared Spectrometer for Hayabusa Mission in the Cruising Phase

NIRS is a near infrared spectrometer on-board the spacecraft HAYABUSA, which aims to return samples from a near-earth asteroid, 25143 Itokawa. HAYABUSA was successfully launched by Japanese M-V-5 rocket on May 9, 2003. After the successful earth swing-by on May 19, 2004, the spacecraft is now on the way toward the asteroid, where it will arrive in this summer. During the rendezvous phase with the asteroid, we will observe the asteroid surface using NIRS and obtain reflectance spectra of the surface materials across the wavelength range of 850nm to 2100nm. Based on ground-based observations [1],[2],[3], 25143 Itokawa appears to be an S(IV) type asteroid. NIRS can detect absorption bands due to olivine and pyroxene and investigate the mineralogical composition of the surface materials, and reveal a relationship between asteroids and meteorites.

Abe, M.↗

Ground-Based VIS/NIR Reflectance Spectra of 25143 Itokawa: What Hayabusa will See and How Ground-Based Data can Augment Analyses

Planning for the arrival of the Hayabusa spacecraft at asteroid 25143 Itokawa includes consideration of the expected spectral information to be obtained using the AMICA and NIRS instruments. The rotationally-resolved spatial coverage the asteroid we have obtained with ground-based telescopic spectrophotometry in the visible and near-infrared can be utilized here to address expected spacecraft data. We use spectrophotometry to simulate the types of data that Hayabusa will receive with the NIRS and AMICA instruments, and will demonstrate them here. The NIRS will cover a wavelength range from 0.85 m, and have a dispersion per element of 250 Angstroms. Thus, we are limited in coverage of the 1.0 micrometer and 2.0 micrometer mafic silicate absorption features. The ground-based reflectance spectra of Itokawa show a large component of olivine in its surface material, and the 2.0 micrometer feature is shallow. Determining the olivine to pyroxene abundance ratio is critically dependent on the attributes of the 1.0- and 2.0 micrometer features. With a cut-off near 2,1 micrometer the longer edge of the 2.0- feature will not be obtained by NIRS. Reflectance spectra obtained using ground-based telescopes can be used to determine the regional composition around space-based spectral observations, and possibly augment the longer wavelength spectral attributes. Similarly, the shorter wavelength end of the 1.0 micrometer absorption feature will be partially lost to the NIRS. The AMICA filters mimic the ECAS filters, and have wavelength coverage overlapping with the NIRS spectral range. We demonstrate how merging photometry from AMICA will extend the spectral coverage of the NIRS. Lessons learned from earlier spacecraft to asteroids should be considered.

Vilas, Faith↗

Implications of Cometary Water: Deep Impact, Stardust and Hayabusa

Three recent in situ spacecraft missions have explored comets or asteroids, producing data in conflict with the standard comet paradigm, the Whipple Dirty Snowball Model (DSM). We have developed an alternative Wet Comet Model (WCM) which proposes that comets undergo an irreversible phase change to a wet comet when they enter within Mars orbit. The WCM may explain some of the observational discrepancies seen by Deep Impact, Stardust and Hayabusa. In particular, it accurately predicted Deep Impact observation of organics, biominerals, and meltwater temperatures. Predictions concerning Stardust s returned cometary dust particles have yet to be falsified, but if comets are largely composed of the silicates seen by Stardust, there may be a cometary explanation for Itokawa s low density rubble-pile observed by Hayabusa.

Sheldon, Robert B.↗

Current Status on Radiation Modeling for the Hayabusa Re-entry

On June 13, 2010 the Japanese Hayabusa capsule performed its reentry into the Earths atmosphere over Australia after a seven year journey to the asteroid Itokawa. The reentry was studied by numerous imaging and spectroscopic instruments onboard NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory and from three sites on the ground, in order to measure surface and plasma radiation generated by the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule (SRC). Post flight, the flow solutions were recomputed to include the whole flow field around the capsule at 11 points along the reentry trajectory using updated trajectory information. Again, material response was taken into account to obtain most reliable surface temperature information. These data will be used to compute thermal radiation of the glowing heat shield and plasma radiation by the shock/post-shock layer system to support analysis of the experimental observation data. For this purpose, lines of sight data are being extracted from the flow field volume grids and plasma radiation will be computed using NEQAIR [4] which is a line-by-line spectroscopic code with one-dimensional transport of radiation intensity. The procedures being used were already successfully applied to the analysis of the observation of the Stardust reentry [5].

Winter, Michael W.↗

Hayabusa Re-Entry: Trajectory Analysis and Observation Mission Design

On June 13th, 2010, the Hayabusa sample return capsule successfully re-entered Earth s atmosphere over the Woomera Prohibited Area in southern Australia in its quest to return fragments from the asteroid 1998 SF36 Itokawa . The sample return capsule entered at a super-orbital velocity of 12.04 km/sec (inertial), making it the second fastest human-made object to traverse the atmosphere. The NASA DC-8 airborne observatory was utilized as an instrument platform to record the luminous portion of the sample return capsule re-entry (~60 sec) with a variety of on-board spectroscopic imaging instruments. The predicted sample return capsule s entry state information at ~200 km altitude was propagated through the atmosphere to generate aerothermodynamic and trajectory data used for initial observation flight path design and planning. The DC- 8 flight path was designed by considering safety, optimal sample return capsule viewing geometry and aircraft capabilities in concert with key aerothermodynamic events along the predicted trajectory. Subsequent entry state vector updates provided by the Deep Space Network team at NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory were analyzed after the planned trajectory correction maneuvers to further refine the DC-8 observation flight path. Primary and alternate observation flight paths were generated during the mission planning phase which required coordination with Australian authorities for pre-mission approval. The final observation flight path was chosen based upon trade-offs between optimal viewing requirements, ground based observer locations (to facilitate post-flight trajectory reconstruction), predicted weather in the Woomera Prohibited Area and constraints imposed by flight path filing deadlines. To facilitate sample return capsule tracking by the instrument operators, a series of two racetrack flight path patterns were performed prior to the observation leg so the instruments could be pointed towards the region in the star background where the sample return capsule was expected to become visible. An overview of the design methodologies and trade-offs used in the Hayabusa re-entry observation campaign are presented.

Cassell, Alan M.↗

Developing the New Hayabusa Curation Facility at Johnson Space Center

On 25 November 2005 the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa spacecraft made contact with the asteroid 25143 Itokawa and collected a small amount of regolith dust from Muses Sea region of smooth terrain [1]. Even though optimal sample collection did not occur, the spacecraft returned to Earth with more than 10,000 grains ranging in the size from 30-180 microns [2]. These grains represent the only collection of pristine material returned from an asteroid by a spacecraft. As part of the joint agreement between JAXA and NASA for the mission, 10% of the Hayabusa grains will be transferred to NASA for parallel curation and allocation, the first 15 of which arrived in December 2011. In order to properly receive and process these samples, a new curation facility was developed at Johnson Space Center (JSC).

De Gregorio, B. T.↗

Characterization of Hayabusa II Target Asteroid (162173) 1999 JU3

The Japanese Hayabusa II mission is planned to rendezvous with and return a sample from the near-Earth asteroid (162173) 1999 JU3. Previous mid-infrared studies have constrained the albedo and thermal properties of this object (Muller et al. 2011; Campins et al. 2011; Hasegawa et al. 2008). Visible wavelength spectra from 1999 and 2007 reveal a C-type asteroid that displays pronounced spectroscopic variability around 0.7 microns. Variability in the strength of a 0.7 micron band could be due to heterogeneous concentrations of iron-bearing phyllosilicates across its surface (Vilas 2008). We will present new observations from the favorable 2012 apparition to further characterize this object. In June of 2012 spectroscopic observations were conducted with the LDSS3 and FIRE instruments on the Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Between April and July of 2012 broadband visible-wavelength photometry was obtained with the Tenagra II telescope in Arizona and with the IMACS, Megacam and LDSS3 instruments on the Magellan telescopes. Our visible and near-infrared spectra confirm a C-type taxonomic classification, but do not show evidence for the presence of a 0.7 micron phyllosilicate band. Our time series of visible spectra cover approximately 60% of the rotational phases of 1999 JU3, but do not display any pronounced variability. We use our new optical light curves, combined with photometry from 2007, to refine a shape model of the asteroid. This shape model provides a means for mapping surface regions accessed by the spectroscopic observations from both 2007 and 2012, and thus to directly address the possibility of surface heterogeneity. This surface map, in conjunction with the newly measured photometric phase curve of the asteroid, will be used to make predictions regarding composition and surface properties that will ultimately be tested upon arrival of the Hayabusa II spacecraft.

Moskovitz, Abe↗

A Coordinated Focused Ion Beam/Ultramicrotomy Technique for Serial Sectioning of Hayabusa Particles and Other Returned Samples

Recent sample return missions, such as NASA's Stardust mission to comet 81P/Wild 2 and JAXA's Hayabusa mission to asteroid 25143 Itokawa, have returned particulate samples (typically ~5-50 μm) that pose tremendous challenges to coordinated analysis using a variety of nano- and micro-beam techniques. The ability to glean maximal information from individual particles has become increasingly important and depends critically on how the samples are prepared for analysis. This also holds true for other extraterrestrial materials, including interplanetary dust particles, micrometeorites and lunar regolith grains. Traditionally, particulate samples have been prepared using microtomy techniques (e.g., [1]). However, for hard mineral particles ≳20 μm, microtome thin sections are compromised by severe chatter and sample loss. For these difficult samples, we have developed a hybrid technique that combines traditional ultramicrotomy with focused ion beam (FIB) techniques, allowing for the in situ investigation of grain surfaces and interiors. Using this method, we have increased the number of FIB-SEM prepared sections that can be recovered from a particle with dimensions on the order of tens of μms. These sections can be subsequently analyzed using a variety of electron beam techniques. Here, we demonstrate this sample preparation technique on individual lunar regolith grains in order to study their space-weathered surfaces. We plan to extend these efforts to analyses of individual Hayabusa samples.

Berger, E. L.↗

Sample Return Science by Hayabusa Near-Earth Asteroid Mission

Assigning the material species to each asteroid spectral type and finding out the corresponding meteorite category is crucial to make the global material map in the whole asteroid belt and to understand the evolution of the asteroid belt. Recent direct observations by spacecrafts are revealing new intriguing aspects of asteroids which cannot be obtained solely from ground-based observations or meteorite studies. However identification of the real material species constituting asteroids and their corresponding meteorite analogs are still ambiguous. Space weathering makes difficult to identify the true material, and there is still a great gap between the remote sensing data on the global surface and the local microscopic data from meteorites. Sample return from asteroids are inevitable to solve these problems. For this purpose sample return missions to asteroids belonging to various spectral classes are required. The HAYABUSA spacecraft (prelaunch name is MUSESC) launched last year is the first attempt on this concept. This report presents outline of the mission with special stress on its science.

Fujiwara, A.↗

Sampling Strategy and Curation Plan of "Hayabusa" Asteroid Sample Return Mission

On the 9th May 2003 JST, Japanese spacecraft MUSES-C was successfully launched from Uchinoura. The spacecraft was directly inserted to interplanetary trajectory and renamed as Hayabusa , or "Falcon" to be the world s first sample return spacecraft to a near Earth asteroid (NEA). The NEA (25143)Itokawa (formerly known as "1998SF36") is its mission target. Its orbital and physical characteristics were well observed; the size is (490 +/- 100)x (250 +/- 55)x(180 +/- 50) m with about 12-hour rotation period. It has a red-sloped S(IV)-type spectrum with strong 1- and 2-micron absorption bands, analogous to ordinary LL chondrites with space weathering effect. Assuming its bulk density, the surface gravity level of Itokawa is in the order of 10 micro-G with its escape velocity = approx. 20 cm/s.

Yano, H.↗

Attitude Control Flight Experience: Coping with Solar Radiation and Ion Engines Leak Thrust in Hayabusa (MUSES-C)

The paper presents the attitude reorientation taking the advantage of solar radiation pressure without use of any fuel aboard. The strategy had been adopted to make Hayabusa spacecraft keep pointed toward the Sun for several months, while spinning. The paper adds the above mentioned results reported in Sedona this February showing another challenge of combining ion engines propulsion tactically balanced with the solar radiation torque with no spin motion. The operation has been performed since this March for a half year successfully. The flight results are presented with the estimated solar array panel diffusion coefficient and the ion engine's swirl torque.

Kawaguchi, Jun'ichiro↗

Processes to Open the Container and the Sample Catcher of the Hayabusa Returned Capsule in the Planetary Material Sample Curation Facility of JAXA

Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa, which returned from near-Earth-asteroid Itokawa, successfully returned its reentry capsule to the Earth, the Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia in Jun 13th, 2010, as detailed in another paper [1]. The capsule introduced into the Planetary Material Sample Curation Facility in the Sagamihara campus of JAXA in the early morning of June 18th. Hereafter, we describe a series of processes for the returned capsule and the container to recover gas and materials in there. A transportation box of the recovered capsule was cleaned up on its outer surface beforehand and introduced into the class 10,000 clean room of the facility. Then, the capsule was extracted from the box and its plastic bag was opened and checked and photographed the outer surface of the capsule. The capsule was composed of the container, a backside ablator, a side ablator, an electronic box and a supporting frame. The container consists of an outer lid, an inner lid, a frame for latches, a container and a sample catcher, which is composed of room A and B and a rotational cylinder. After the first check, the capsule was packed in a plastic bag with N2 again, and transferred to the Chofu campus in JAXA, where the X-ray CT instrument is situated. The first X-ray CT analysis was performed on the whole returned capsule for confirming the conditions of latches and O-ring seal of the container. The analysis showed that the latches of the container should have worked normally, and that the double Orings of the container seemed to be sealed its sample catcher with no problem. After the first X-ray CT, the capsule was sent back to Sagamihara and introduced in the clean room to exclude the electronic box and the side ablator from the container by hand tools. Then the container with the backside ablator was set firmly to special jigs to fix the lid of container tightly to the container and set to a milling machine. The backside ablator was drilled by the machine to expose heads of bolts, which combined the ablator to the outer lid of the container, and after the drilling had been finished, all the bolts were unscrewed and the backside ablator was removed from the container. Then, the container was sent to the Chofu X-ray facility again to examine in detail by a micro X-ray CT instrument in order to reconfirm that the condition of the latches of the lid of container was normal and that its double O-ring seemed to have been sealed after the last X-ray CT analysis.

Fujimura, A.↗

Space Weathering of Ordinary Chondrite Parent Bodies, Its Impact on the Method of Distinguishing H, L, and LL Types and Implications for Itokawa Samples Returned by the Hayabusa Mission

As the most abundance meteorites in our collections, ordinary chondrites potentially have very important implications on the origin and formation of our Solar System. In order to map the distribution of ordinary chondrite-like asteroids through remote sensing, the space weathering effects of ordinary chondrite parent bodies must be addressed through experiments and modeling. Of particular importance is the impact on distinguishing different types (H/L/LL) of ordinary chondrites. In addition, samples of asteroid Itokawa returned by the Hayabusa spacecraft may re~ veal the mechanism of space weathering on an LLchondrite parent body. Results of space weathering simulations on ordinary chondrites and implications for Itokawa samples are presented here.

Hiroi, T.↗

Radiation Modeling for the Reentry of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule

Predicted shock-layer emission signatures of the Japanese Hayabusa capsule during its reentry are presented for comparison with flight measurements made during an airborne observation mission using NASA s DC-8 Airborne Laboratory. For each altitude, lines of sight were extracted from flow field solutions computed using an inhouse high-fidelity CFD code, DPLR, at 11 points along the flight trajectory of the capsule. These lines of sight were used as inputs for the line-by-line radiation code NEQAIR, and emission spectra of the air plasma were computed in the wavelength range from 300 nm to 1600 nm, a range which covers all of the different experiments onboard the DC-8. In addition, the computed flow field solutions were post-processed with the material thermal response code FIAT, and the resulting surface temperatures of the heat shield were used to generate thermal emission spectra based on Planck radiation. Both spectra were summed and integrated over the flow field. The resulting emission at each trajectory point was propagated to the DC-8 position and transformed into incident irradiance. Comparisons with experimental data are shown.

Winter, Michael W.↗

Minerology and Crystallography of Some Itokawa Particles Returned by the Hayabusa Mission

JAXA Hayabusa mission success-fully returned particles of the asteroid Itokawa to the earth in 2010. The recovered particles were carefully studied by the preliminary examination (PE) team and the obtained results are providing significant and unique information about the formation and evolution of meteorite parent bodies [1-6]. These particles further revealed that their mineral compositions and oxygen isotopes are close to those of equilibrated LL chon-drites [1,2], which matches with the observation at the orbit [7]. After the PE, JAXA distributed the samples as international AO study and we received 4 new and 3 PE particles. The new samples may contain some exot-ic components that have not been found by the PE study, and are of special interest. We have performed a detailed mineralogical and crystallographic study on these particles and here report the results.

Mikouchi, T.↗

A Novel Hybrid Ultramicrotomy/FIB-SEM Technique: Preparation of Serial Electron-Transparent Thin Sections of a Hayabusa Grain

The Japanese space agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa mission returned the first particulate samples (typically <100micron) from the surface of an asteroid (25143 Itokawa). These precious samples provide important insights into early Solar System processes, but their sizes pose tremendous challenges to coordinated analysis using a variety of nano- and micro-beam techniques. The ability to glean maximal information from individual particles has become increasingly important and depends critically on sample preparation. We developed a hybrid technique combining traditional ultramicrotomy with focused ion beam (FIB) techniques, allowing for more thorough in situ investigations of grain surfaces and interiors. Using this method, we increase the number of FIB-prepared sections that can be recovered from a particle with dimensions on the order of tens of microns. These sections can be subsequently analyzed using a variety of analytical techniques. Particle RA-QD02-0211 is a approx. 40×40×20 micron particle from Itokawa containing olivine and Fe sulfides. It was embedded in low viscosity epoxy and partly sectioned to a depth of approx 10 micron; sections are placed on Cu grids with thin amorphous films for transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses. With the sample surface partly exposed, the epoxy bullet is trimmed to a height of approx. 5mm to accommodate the allowable dimensions for FIB work (FEI Quanta 600 3D dual beam FIB-SEM). Using a diamond trim knife, the epoxy surrounding the grain is removed on 3 sides (to within a few microns of the grain); the depth of material removed extends well below the bottom of the particle. The sample is attached to an SEM pin mount, the epoxy coated with conductive paint, and the entire assembly coated with approx. 40nm of carbon to eliminate sample charging during FIB work. A protective carbon cap is placed according to the plan for the 15 FIB sections. The central 'spine' of the cap runs perpendicular to the front of the sample, and the 'ribs' protruding from either side run parallel. Each rib indicates the location of a planned FIB section, and the spine contains the final two planned sections. We use a cap with a 4 micron-wide spine and 2micron-wide ribs that have ≳3.5 micron of space between them (narrower cuts result in too much re-deposition of material inside the trenches). Using a 30kV, 3nA ion-beam we expose the front surface of the grain and commence milling trenches between sections. Rather than using the typical C-cut to prepare the sample for lift-out, an L-cut is used instead, leaving the sample connected by an interior tab. tab. Sections are lifted out, attached to TEM grids and thinned to electron transparency. TEM analyses show that our hybrid technique preserves both interior and edge features, including surface modifications from exposure to the space environment, such as damaged rims that form in response to solar wind implantation effects and adhering grains. In addition, the FIB sections provide larger areas that are free of fractures and chatter effects in comparison to the microtome thin sections, thus enabling more accurate measurements of solar flare particle track densities that are used to determine the surface exposure age of the particles.

Berger, Eve L.↗

Insights into Regolith Dynamics from the Irradiation Record Preserved in Hayabusa Samples

The rates of space weathering processes are poorly constrained for asteroid surfaces, with recent estimates ranging over 5 orders of magnitude. The return of the first surface samples from a space-weathered asteroid by the Hayabusa mission and their laboratory analysis provides "ground truth" to anchor the timescales for space weathering. We determine the rates of space weathering on Itokawa by measuring solar flare track densities and the widths of solar wind damaged rims on grains. These measurements are made possible through novel focused ion beam (FIB) sample preparation methods.

Keller, Lindsay P.↗