InfoAnda - Japan's low-cost space programme pushes the limits

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Afghan leader to push for access to Taliban in Pakistan | | 14 February 2012
Iran: ready for nuclear talks in late Oct or early Nov | | 9 October 2010
Philippine Muslim cleric in talks to free Red Cross workers | 16 April 2009

Hitler AIDS ad pulled from YouTube | 10 September 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Japan's low-cost space programme pushes the limits

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Japan's low-cost space programme pushes the limits AFP - 2 hours 54 minutes ago Send IM Story Print Japan's low-cost space programme pushes the limits TOKYO (AFP) - – Despite its shoestring budget, Japan's space programme has boldly reached for the stars, pioneering solar-powered galactic travel, exploring a distant asteroid and planning a robot base on the Moon. The past year has seen Japan's space agency JAXA chalk up several world firsts, including the safe return of a deep-space probe that picked up asteroid dust from a potato-shaped space rock on an epic seven-year odyssey. The Hayabusa (Falcon) ended its five-billion-kilometre (three-billion-mile) mission when it burnt up on re-entry over the Australian outback. Hayabusa had already safely parachuted to Earth a disk-shaped container with the particles inside. Because asteroids are thought to date back to the dawn of our solar system, it is hoped the extra-terrestrial grains from asteroid Itokawa can help reveal secrets from as long as 4.6 billion years ago. The Hayabusa mission -- costing less than 200 yen (two dollars) per Japanese citizen over 10 years (20 billion yen) -- has boosted interest in the space programme, and in science and technology, said project leader Junichiro Kawaguchi. "Space development doesn't foster industries directly but it can nurture people who will contribute to industries in the future," he said. "It brought about an immensely bigger educational effect." Earlier this year the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) also stunned earthlings everywhere when it sent a "space yacht" floating through the black void, without leaving a hint of a carbon footprint. The kite-shaped Ikaros -- short for Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun -- is propelled forward by sun particles bouncing off its fold-out wings, which are thinner than a human hair. There have been set-backs too. Last week the Akatsuki (Dawn) probe narrowly missed its entry point to the orbit of Venus, where it had been due to observe the toxic atmosphere and blistering volcanic surface for two years. Ground control put on a brave face after the mishap, vowing to try again when the probe and Venus have their next rendezvous in six years. If Akatsuki makes it, it will get a close-up glimpse of what is often called our sister planet -- similar in size and age to Earth but shrouded in sulphuric acid clouds and baking at 460 degrees Celsius (860 degrees Fahrenheit). JAXA's mission are far more ambitious than its budget would suggest. The agency has no manned missions and operated on 339 billion yen (four billion dollars) this fiscal year -- less than one-tenth of the NASA budget, and less than half the annual cost of Europe's space programme. Space officials are now fighting back against any further government belt tightening as they plan a follow-up probe to Hayabusa in 2014, which would explore an asteroid named 1999JU3. JAXA says it hopes its probe would find "organic or hydrated materials" on the asteroid, and to find out whether "there is any relation to life on Earth". The science and technology minister, Yoshiaki Takagi, last month vowed that "we will strive to secure the budget so that we can offer maximum support" for the Hayabusa-2 project. His ministry has requested a 100-fold boost to the research budget for Hayabusa-2 to some three billion yen next year. Prime Minister Naoto Kan sounded sympathetic when he said last month that Japan "must be committed" to space projects. In future the space agency may take on an even more ambitious task. An expert panel advising the minister for space development has called for sending a wheeled robot to the Moon in five years -- having first considered a two-legged humanoid, which was rejected because of the Moon's bumpy surface. It envisions building the first lunar base by 2020, which could be staffed by advanced robots, as a key stepping stone for Japan's space exploration, a field where Asian competition is heating up. "It is extremely important to probe the Moon... as we now see the dawn of 'the Age of Great Voyages' in the solar system," the panel said, pointing out that "China, India and other countries are aiming to probe the Moon." The government's Strategic Headquarters for Space Policy believes a successful space programme does much to lift Japan's profile on Earth. "Our country's space technology, its achievements and human resources are truly diplomatic resources that would boost our influence and position in the international community," it said in a policy report. "We will promote them as a source of our soft power." Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Fifteen dead in Philippines hotel fire: police AFP - 14 minutes ago China PM vows to boost strategic ties with Pakistan AFP - 20 minutes ago Man sentenced to death for killing five in China AFP - 51 minutes ago Survivors pray for 30 lost in Australia refugee wreck AFP - 56 minutes ago Australia level Ashes series AFP - 1 hour 4 minutes ago News Search Top Stories Spanish unions protest retirement reform Parents didn't want Sonia to wed Rajiv Gandhi: cables Britain, France, Germany demand EU budget freeze WikiLeaks chief Assange fears US charges California approves first broad US climate plan More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Parents didn't want Sonia to wed Rajiv Gandhi: cables WikiLeaks chief Assange fears US charges Madoff investor's estate forfeits 7.2 billion dollars Britain, France, Germany demand EU budget freeze NASA tests aging shuttle after failed launch More Most Viewed » NASA finds new form of life... on Earth Defiant Obama defends tax cuts, eyes 2012 More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Sunday, 19 December 2010
Merkel meets troops in surprise Afghanistan visit
Iraq to unveil new govt Monday, oil minister stays
Parents didn't want Sonia to wed Rajiv Gandhi: cables
Foreign troop death toll in Afghanistan in 2010 nears 700 |
Iraq to unveil new government Monday |
Iraq PM to unveil national unity cabinet
Fresh from India, Wen builds Pakistan trade ties |
Iran's new foreign minister reaches out to Europe
Sudan dismisses allegation Bashir has billions abroad
Iran's new FM to bolster ties with Saudi, Turkey
Moscow police arrest 500 to prevent ethnic violence |
Shahristani to stay as Iraq oil minister
French police break up international doping ring |
NATO kills 20 insurgents in eastern Afghanistan
U.N. council meeting on Koreas likely Sunday
Nigeria militants claim attacks on oil facilities |
Now for the win, says double centurion Kallis
Report: Gunmen attack Korean site in Afghanistan
Spain unions threaten strike over pension reform |
SKorea to hold firing drills amid NKorea threat
Woman boards bus naked in Singapore
Fear continues to keep Indonesia's sexual minorities in the closet
US Congress backs lifting military gay ban
Iraqi cinema makes a comeback at Greek film festival
FEATURE: Indonesian LGBTs face discrimination in workplace
Park plans Wallace and Gromit theme park ride
Suicide attacks kill seven Afghan military personnel
Snow hits flights, strands drivers in Europe
South Korea not scrapping drill despite threat |
Iraq to unveil new government Monday, oil minister stays
US Senate rejects bid to kill Russia nuclear treaty
Israeli air strike kills five Gaza militants
Foreign troop 2010 toll hits 700 in Afghanistan |
Spanish unions protest retirement reform
Suicide bombers kill 5 in northern Afghanistan
Obama vows to pursue US missile defense plans
Israeli air strike kills five Gaza militants |
Suicide bombers kill 4 in northern Afghanistan
Ivory Coast's Gbagbo tells U.N. to leave, Ban refuses |
Moscow police arrest hundreds ahead of nationalist rallies
NATO kills 20 insurgents in eastern Afghanistan
Belarus votes, Lukashenko to extend 16-year rule |
Ice set to bring more chaos to Britain |
Sri Lanka lifts ban on U.N. war crime panel visit |
Western Sahara foes still at odds but to speed up talks |
Survivors pray for 30 lost in Australia refugee wreck
Australia level Ashes series
Indonesia to attack Philippines frontally
A kungfu master's living legacy
Irish family man feeling the pinch this Christmas
A softer 'don't-ask, don't-tell' policy in Indonesia?
US Senate passes bill to lift military gay ban
Quake jolts Indonesia
Garment scraps head for Western living rooms
Japanese feelings for China at record low: poll
Cambodia's land-grab 'cancer' keeps spreading
S.Korea unveils plan to levy foreign debt at banks
S.Korea Nov biz start-up/failure ratio at 18-mth low
37 dead in Bangladesh boat sinking: police
Japan's low-cost space programme pushes the limits
SKorea plans levy on foreign currency bank debt
Iran fuel prices rocket as subsidies cut
Tourist stabbed to death in Israel |
Iran fuel prices soar as subsidies cut
Snow and ice ground flights in Europe |
U.S. tourist stabbed to death in Israel
Iran ex-foreign minister says sacking 'un-Islamic'
China counters U.S. criticism of Pakistan |
Fighting in Sudan's Darfur forces 12,000 to flee
Iraq's Allawi says will join Maliki government |
Taliban kill 10 Afghan soldiers, police
Fighting in Sudan's Darfur forces 12,000 to flee |
Taliban kill 10 Afghan soldiers in 2 attacks
Taiwan 'set to boost' Chinese tourists' quota
Israel deprives Palestinians in West Bank |
Militants kill 10 Afghan soldiers in 2 attacks
Philippines in uproar over error-filled peso bills
China PM vows to boost ties with Pakistan
North Korea raises alert before U.N. meeting
China counters U.S. criticism of Pakistan as PM ends visit
Young Spaniards adrift with 40 pct jobless rate
After Australia tour, Winfrey vacations in Fiji
Life sentence finalised for Tokyo man over Briton's death
UN to meet on Koreas amid soaring tensions
SKorea announces levy on bank foreign borrowing
Fifteen dead in Philippines hotel fire: police
Man sentenced to death for killing five in China
SKorea plans levy on foreign currency bank debt
Firefox backs "Do Not Track" with online stealth
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01