If you'd like to follow the Hayabusa2# flyby of asteroid Torifune today in real time 🛰️🔭, Otsuka Minoru also put together a real-time version of his flyby web app!
He notes that nothing will appear on the screen until a few minutes before the flyby just before 18:30 JST (because... that's a flyby...) but he flips the camera angles to keep us entertained.
At 12:40 JST, the team confirmed that the onboard trajectory guidance calculation has begun. All is well.
At 15:00 JST, the final ΔV (trajectory change) operation was performed from the ground. We are still nominal 🫡
At 17:37 JST on July 5, ground control confirmed that the onboard trajectory guidance had commenced. The spacecraft condition is normal.
NOBODY BREATH!
Hayabusa2 has performed the Torifune flyby, and on July 5 at 18:35 JST, ground control confirmed that the spacecraft is operating normally.
@elizabethtasker 110,000 kilometers to go!
@tsturm OH YES, the app tells you! That is cool.
@elizabethtasker thank you, this is appreciated!
Would not sign „All is well“, though…
@elizabethtasker Some top quality, scientifically rigorous hanging around on the youtube feed!
@elizabethtasker Everyone's applauding. Either someone got a high score in Chucky Egg or the flyby has worked.
@withaveeay could be either, they’re pretty geeky.
@withaveeay @elizabethtasker What really goes on in mission control... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Fy6AUMv8E
@elizabethtasker Do we know how close the flyby was? I don’t know if there would be any instrument on board to provide actual measurements at these speeds.
@tsturm The plan was 800m from the asteroid centre. I don't think that will have changed, so I believe the main uncertainty will be the shape of Torifune, which will determine the distance from the surface.
@tsturm I think LIDAR was going to be attempted, but they'll have to download all the data.
@elizabethtasker It’s probably another peanut-shaped thing… the solar system’s planets must have come in a giant box and we now find those packing peanuts all over the place. 😅