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[ViperVisor]

they named a satellite after hitomi tanaka? brilliant.

if you don't know who that is, i HIGHLY suggest you look her up. NSFW!

 

[GameAddict411]

Holly shit! Her boobs are bigger than some tires.

 

[Bregor]

It's probably dead.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/04/japanese-x-ray-observatory-seen-spinning-out-of-control/

 

[Fugu]

Today I learned that Hitomi Tanaka is very popular.

 

[cameron]

JAXA officially calls end mission. Loss of satellite.

CBC News: "JAXA abandons Hitomi/ASTRO-H telescope"

Japan's space agency has abandoned its efforts to restore the operations of a multimillion-dollar satellite that was to probe the mysteries of black holes using X-ray telescopes.

The ASTRO-H telescope, also known as Hitomi, features Canadian technology that sharpens its vision, helping it detect a wider range of x-ray colours than other x-ray telescopes.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced Thursday that it would stop trying to fix the satellite after determining that it was "highly likely" that its two solar arrays had broken off at their bases.

A Canadian research team was hoping to access new data about deep space as part of a partnership between Canada and Japan in the mission. The Canadian Space Agency provided a laser alignment system for the observatory's instruments.

NASA was a principal partner in the Japan-led mission, which involved eight other nations, including Canada and the Netherlands.

Japan's Kyodo News agency reported that Japan spent about 31 billion yen ($364 million) on the project, and NASA had invested about $87 million.

JAXA Press Release: "Operation Plan of X-ray Astronomy Satellite ASTRO-H (Hitomi)"

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) established the emergency headquarters led by President Okumura and has been doing its utmost to understand the anomaly of the X-ray Astronomy Satellite ASTRO-H (“Hitomi”). We have made every effort to confirm the status of ASTRO-H and to regain its functions. Unfortunately, based on our rigorous technical investigation, we had to conclude as follows.

1. Most of our analyses including simulations on the mechanisms of object separation, it is highly likely that both solar array paddles had broken off at their bases where they are vulnerable to rotation.
   
   
2. Originally, we had some hopes to restore communication with ASTRO-H since we thought we received signals from ASTRO-H three times after object separation. However, we had to conclude that the received signals were not from ASTRO-H due to the differences in frequencies as a consequence of technological study.

JAXA has also received information from several overseas organizations that indicated the separation of the two solar array paddles from ASTRO-H. Considering this information, we have determined that we cannot restore the ASTRO-H’s functions.

Accordingly, JAXA will cease the efforts to restore ASTRO-H and will focus on the investigation of anomaly causes. We will carefully review all phases from design, manufacturing, verification, and operations to identify the causes that may have led to this anomaly including background factors.

JAXA expresses the deepest regret for the fact that we had to discontinue the operations of ASTRO-H and extends our most sincere apologies to everyone who has supported ASTRO-H believing in the excellent results ASTRO-H would bring, to all overseas and domestic partners including NASA, and to all foreign and Japanese astrophysicists who were planning to use the observational results from ASTRO-H for their studies.

JAXA also would like to take this opportunity to send our profound appreciation to all overseas and domestic organizations for all of their help in confirming the status of ASTRO-H through ground-based observations and other means.

 

[Jintor]

Damnit

 

[Mindlog]

I can't imagine what losing a project like that feels like. If I ever meet any of these wonderful people then drinks on me.

 

[ponpo]

Read an article about the causes of its failure yesterday:
http://www.nature.com/news/software-error-doomed-japanese-hitomi-spacecraft-1.19835

Japan’s flagship astronomical satellite Hitomi, which launched successfully on 17 February but tumbled out of control five weeks later, may have been doomed by a basic engineering error. Confused about how it was oriented in space and trying to stop itself from spinning, Hitomi's control system apparently commanded a thruster jet to fire in the wrong direction — accelerating, rather than slowing, the craft's rotation.

“We had three days,” he says. “We’d hoped for ten years.”

;_;7

 

[CadetMahoney]

Earlier versions of the same instrument have twice met a grim fate on JAXA missions: in 2000, the ASTRO-E telescope crashed on launch, and in 2005 a helium leak aboard the Suzaku satellite crippled its spectrometer within weeks of launch.

All these failures are not a good look.