|
|
|
SakigakeBy Marty McDowell/NASA
On January 7, 1985, the Japan launched Sakigake (the Japanese word for
"pioneer"). This was the first deep space probe launched by
Japan. Its mission was to measure the solar wind and magnetic field as it
flew by Halley's Comet.
In August of 1985, the Suisei craft - which
was identical except for instrumentation - was launched as Japan's second
deep space probe.
In the time since its historic encounter with Comet Halley, Sakigake
has made a number of flybys of Earth with the last occuring on July 3,
1995. The mission officially ended in 1998 when the craft ran out of fuel.
The mission was sponsored by the Institute of Space and Aeronautical
Science at the University of Tokyo.
Source: NASA.
|
|
|
Share Your Memories!What do you remember about Sakigake? Have you any compelling stories to share? Share your stories with the world! (We print the best stories right here!) |
|
Space References (Books):
Dickinson, Terence. Nightwatch:
A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe. Firefly Books, 1998.
Greene, Brian. Elegant
Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate
Theory. Vintage, 2000.
Hawking, Stephen. Illustrated
Brief History of Time, Updated and Expanded Edition. Bantam, 1996.
Hawking, Stephen. Theory
of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe. New Millenium,
2002.
Hawking, Stephen. The
Universe in a Nutshell. Bantam, 2001.
Kaku, Michio. Hyperspace:
A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps and the Tenth
Dimension.
Kranz, Gene. Failure
Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond.
Berkley Pub Group, 2001.
Sagan, Carl; Druyan, Ann. Comet,
Revised Edition. Ballantine, 1997
Sagan, Carl. Cosmos,
Reissue Edition. Ballantine, 1993
Sagan, Carl. Pale
Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. Ballantine, 1997
Space References (Videos):
Cosmos.
PBS, 2000.
Stephen
Hawking's Universe. PBS, 1997.
Hyperspace.
BBC, 2002.
Life
Beyond Earth PBS, 1999.
The Planets. BBC, 1999.
Understanding
The Universe. A&E, 1996.
|
|
|
.gif) |
SPACE SPECS |
|
| | Sakigake spacecraft | | | | Courtesy of NASA | |
|  | Launched: January 7, 1985
| |
| | Destination: Halley's Comet
| |
| | Arrival: March 11, 1986
| |
| | Return: N/A
| |
| | Nation: Japan
| |
| | Mission: Flyby of comet
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.gif)
.gif){kind=small}
.gif)
.jpg)
