Japanese 'space cannon' to be fired into asteroid

[kiwi1960]

Japanese 'space cannon' to be fired into asteroid

ASHLEY FEINBERG

PEW PEW: Watch out alien invaders, Earth now has it's first space cannon, attached to Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft.

You have to crawl before you can walk - be you a baby or an asteroid-blasting space cannon.

Now, after a successful test-fire here on Earth, Japan's specially made cannon for its Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is ready to take its first, real shots in outer space.

Built by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the space cannon's job is to fire off a 1.8kg metal projectile into the catchily named 1999JU3 asteroid, giving the previously attached space probe access to all that sweet, sweet asteroid soil.

Because the surface of asteroids have been affected by the harsh environment of space, the only way to get at the information-rich interior is by essentially making a DIY crater.

So once Hayabusa 2 is properly positioned between Earth and Mars - where 1999JU3 orbits - the spacecraft will release the cannon, float downwards, and head off to take refuge behind the asteroid before the space blaster does its damage.

It's at this point that Japanese scientists here on Earth will remotely detonate the cannon, allowing Hayabusa 2 to float back over and collect all the newly revealed asteroid debris it can carry.

While we won't know for sure until we have the samples, scientists are fairly confident that this C-type asteroid has remained relatively the same since our solar system first began, which would allow them new insight into planet formation.

What they're really hoping for though is leftover water and organic matter form our galaxy's humble beginnings.

We've got a bit of a wait before we'll know for certain what I999JU3 holds; Hayabusa 2 is scheduled to arrive at its target mid-2018, and we won't have the soil samples back on Earth until sometime in 2019.

In the meantime, you can sleep a little easier knowing that planet Earth is the proud owner of a space cannon, and it works.

-Gizmodo

[rpayne88]

Not much of a cannon. More like a space shape charge pointed at an asteroid.

[K^2]

leftover water and organic matter form our galaxy's humble beginnings.

So they are going to blast an asteroid with high power explosives to see if some oil comes out?

I don't think Japan is adopting the right aspects of American culture.

[Scotius]

Meh. I expected this probe to transform into a humanoid mecha on approach and whip out a space cannon twice the size of its body. Then it should charge the cannon for five minutes, while chanting KAAAMMMEEHHAAAAMMMMEEEEEHHAAAAAA!!! And then BAMMM! Only some glittering dust floating in space would be left for picking. Alas...

[Tommygun]

In the meantime, you can sleep a little easier knowing that planet Earth is the proud owner of a space cannon, and it works.

Also a space pogo stick.....

It's an interesting mission. JAXA seems to be almost specializing in asteroid missions.

[K^2]

Meh. I expected this probe to transform into a humanoid mecha on approach and whip out a space cannon twice the size of its body. Then it should charge the cannon for five minutes, while chanting KAAAMMMEEHHAAAAMMMMEEEEEHHAAAAAA!!! And then BAMMM! Only some glittering dust floating in space would be left for picking. Alas...

I was excited about the mission when I read the thread title, merely interested in it after I read what it's actually about, and now I'm filled with nothing but regret over what could have been after reading your post. Thank you very much.

[NASAFanboy]

I was excited about the mission when I read the thread title, merely interested in it after I read what it's actually about, and now I'm filled with nothing but regret over what could have been after reading your post. Thank you very much.

I was hoping for a rail gun....

[shoveycat]

While not exactly what i expected, this seems like a very important mission for our understanding of asteroids.

[lajoswinkler]

I doubt they will fire anything. They'll release the projectile, that's it. Firing almost 2 kg out in space... Newton's third law of motion, anyone?

If that's firing from a cannon, then these planes are cannons, too.

[shoveycat]

I doubt they will fire anything. They'll release the projectile, that's it. Firing almost 2 kg out in space... Newton's third law of motion, anyone?

If that's firing from a cannon, then these planes are cannons, too.

2 kg isn't all that much, and its pretty safe to assume that a space probe would have some sort of thruster to counteract that. Also, i'm not entirely sure, but i don't think an asteroid would have enough gravity to pull a projectile down at any measurable speed

[Kryten]

I doubt they will fire anything. They'll release the projectile, that's it. Firing almost 2 kg out in space... Newton's third law of motion, anyone?

The projectile is released, then effectively 'fires' itself. It's an explosively-formed penetrator similar to some anti-tank weapons-and similar in terms of velocity too, around 2km/s.

[lajoswinkler]

2 kg isn't all that much, and its pretty safe to assume that a space probe would have some sort of thruster to counteract that. Also, i'm not entirely sure, but i don't think an asteroid would have enough gravity to pull a projectile down at any measurable speed

Actually it is a lot for a probe. There are no such thrusters and no launching systems onboard. The probe might release the payload in an orbit which collides with the asteroid, and then will move out of the way, thus hiding behind the asteroid. The payload should mostly use the orbital speed of the probe.

The projectile is released, then effectively 'fires' itself. It's an explosively-formed penetrator similar to some anti-tank weapons-and similar in terms of velocity too, around 2km/s.

So the payload will be released and then it will activate the detonator on its rear end so that it changes course towards the asteroid? It's a pretty challenging task.

[Kryten]

The payload is effectively a container full of explosive with a copper disc at the front. The explosives go off, the copper disc is converted into a dart-like projectile by shock waves, and shortly after slams into the asteroid-pretty much a single-shot gun, but without the weight of a barrel. It's not anything particularly new, except in terms of being used in space-weapons using the same principle have been around since the 40s.

[Lordherrmann]

Sounds alot like the 2005 Deep Impact NASA mission.

[ZingidyZongxxx]

So the plan is to return samples from an asteroid? Has that even been attempted before? I hope they pull it off.

[PakledHostage]

Sounds alot like the 2005 Deep Impact NASA mission.

If by that you mean that it is a robotic mission involving a probe and an impactor, then sure...

[Kryten]

So the plan is to return samples from an asteroid? Has that even been attempted before? I hope they pull it off.

Let's just say there's a reason this one's called Hayabusa 2. However, Hayabusa had a number of technical issues and only managed to return some dust grains; if this one works, it'll be the first to return macroscopic samples.

[Scotius]

Jokes aside, it will be very interesting to see what hides under asteroid's surface. Is it really a treasure chest of precious and rare elements? Is there enough water to be useful? Any other volatiles our future manned missions could use?

[PakledHostage]

Let's just say there's a reason this one's called Hayabusa 2.

There's a neat video of Hayabusa's sample return capsule re-entering over Australia. The probe itself burned up during re-entry as planned, but the sample return capsule survived:

[Specialist290]

I came into this thread expecting a cannon that fired things into space.

I'm slightly miffed that that's not what this is, but it sounds pretty cool nonetheless.

[ZingidyZongxxx]

I came into this thread expecting a cannon that fired things into space.

I'm slightly miffed that that's not what this is, but it sounds pretty cool nonetheless.

Maybe if we build an elevator to the moon first. The amount of force an actual space cannon would need to use is ridiculous. Rockets are much more practical.

[Tygroux]

Maybe if we build an elevator to the moon first. The amount of force an actual space cannon would need to use is ridiculous. Rockets are much more practical.

Actually, a railgun built on the flank of a mountain would be far more economical system than inneficient fuel-eating explosive stuffs.

We have problem with railguns themselves (see the military projects), supraconduction, supercapacitor, syncyng stuffs together, and finding political will and funding to buid a giant nuclear-powered railgun on the flank of an equatorial mountain.

Pretty much nothing when you think about what we already did in the name of science.

Especially regarding to the economics benefits.

Once that will be fixed, we will send space cannons using space cannons!

...

now, saying that makes me fear... nobody will be stupid enough to point a space cannon at anything else than an asteroid, right? Right?

[Specialist290]

The amount of force an actual space cannon would need to use is ridiculous. Rockets are much more practical.

The rational part of my brain fully agrees. Still...

Warning: TVTropes may ruin your life.

[mdatspace]

The rational part of my brain fully agrees. Still...

Warning: TVTropes may ruin your life.

That site is too rational!

[Jordanpumah]

but it's going to be remotley detonated, once the probe is behind the asteroid (smh)

i have no idea how they intend for this to work, but maybe I'll be proven wrong

reading the tile, yeah, I was expecting soem sort of orbital cannon that fired outwards into space to stop any Armageddon-type events from happening.