[meteorite-list] Hayabusa Fails to Land on Asteroid Itokawa

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=4&id=356004

Space probe Hayabusa fails to land on asteroid Itokawa
Japan Today
November 20, 2005 

TOKYO - The space probe Hayabusa failed to land on the asteroid Itokawa, 
located about 290 million kilometers away from the Earth, Japan's space 
agency said Sunday. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said data 
received from the space probe indicates that it has not landed on the 
asteroid.

The agency earlier said the spacecraft, which temporarily lost contact 
with it, may have faced some sort of operational trouble. The probe 
dropped a ball with a reflecting plate as a landing target from about 40 
meters above the asteroid around 5:30 a.m. Japan time Sunday before the 
planned landing, according to the agency.