Hayabusa

"Can we think about how we do it,
not why we can't?"

Another touching movie about space-craft journey for 7 years. This movie released on October 1, 2011.When I searched about the movie at wikipedia, I think it's only another boring science-fiction movie about space-craft but I changed that mind after watched the movie. It's a touching movie about a journey of unmanned space-craft and his creators at earth to control it. 

"The capsule Hayabusa has brought from the asteroid Itokawa...

...holds tiny particles of dust. If they are from Itokawa they will be the first brought from a celestial object other than the Moon."

The heroine of this movie is Mizusawa Megumi. She is a passionate and clumsy girl that very like astronomy. She is a research student that studied about crater morphology and asteroid geomorphology. She is attracted to a seminar that conducted by Matoba Yasuhiro-sensei. Matoba-sensei is touched by Mizusawa and invite her to be a staff in JAXA(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) to help MUSES-C(Hayabusa) project. Mizusawa join a group that have duty to make MUSES-C camera and conducted by Sakagami-sensei. At first, she is given a hard job to collect data about space-craft camera in two days. But with enthusiasm, she did that job at short time. In one year, the project team must done the space-craft before send it off. Another project team of Hayabusa annoyed about Sakagami's attitude that make project become slow down because of his perfectionist request. His request didn't meet the budget for project and another team also need his data to continue the project. 

This Hayabusa project is lact of fund and budget. Goverment can't help with its budget so the scientists and engineers must think twice and try another way to make a perfect and limited budget space-craft. They almost worried that Hayabusa wouldn't fly because the budget is too thin and problem with the civilian around the Uchinoura Space Center. The civilian around Space Center is informed when Hayabusa takes off, they must stop their activity and that season is the good season to fishing. But with their hardship and burning spirit, they can find solution. And at May 3, 2003 Hayabusa is scheduled to take off. The project team seem very happy with Hayabusa's safety take off to the space. But this is not the end, the journey has begun.

For two year journey, Hayabusa reached the destination, an asteroid named 25143 Itokawa. Finally the project team can collect data from camera and study the morfology of Itokawa. Mizusawa is the first person that can find the morfology and they search place to landed the Hayabusa. The project team confused where they can landed it. Because they only can see the morfology and didn't know the true condition around the asteroid. But they must landed it to drop 880.000 people names that registered in "Your Name in Asteroid Itokawa Program" and to collect samples of tiny grains and dust from Itokawa. Hayabusa's first landed is failed due to the hot surface of Itokawa, it made the team more confused to landed because they worried it can damage Hayabusa. The leader of the team, Kawabuchi-sensei, made decision to landed it again. Hayabusa landed to Itokawa for several minutes and they can collect the samples. The team is in happy but after that Hayabusa is in trouble, it's spinning and out of control. Finally the lost the Hayabusa and more trouble that perhaps Hayabusa didn't take any samples. Several months, the team try to search Hayabusa in the space but they failed. They tried many frequencies to contact Hayabusa but no hope. 

At this time, Mizusawa also confused about her future. The proffesors at JAXA told her to finished her thesis and become a scientist that can help JAXA's another project. What make Mizusawa confuse? It happened when Sakagami-sensei asked about her purpose to studied astronomy. Mizusawa confused, because at first her purpose is only to make her late brother's wish come true. Her brother wanter to be an astronomer but before he can accomplish it, he died. Saw her parent sadness to lost her brother, she wanted to take her brother role. But her purpose isn't strong enough for her to continue her research. 

In one year of losing Hayabusa's signal, one and another team member left the JAXA due to contract and retired. Sakagami-sensei's contract is ended and it's a shock to Mizusawa, he left her with said, "We're shifuku (one who toils in obscurity)." Adding one of the team member is death before can see Hayabusa comes home. Mizusawa saw the all of the team spirit to make Hayabusa went home and she decided to finish her thesis with her own aim. But her proposal is rejected.

Then in January 23, 2006 they found Hayabusa and another problem occur that the fuel is leak. Perhaps Hayabusa can't go home with the condition but Kita-sensei secretly inserted a diode to Hayabusa before took off. This way can make Hayabusa can go home with a little possibility to survive. 

 

Miniature of Hayabusa. Hayabusa 1/32nd by Aoshima. Image credit by dmontgomery_photo

 

Hayabusa Reentry. Image credit by maplexiii_photos

Before I end this posting, I want to tell you that it is an interesting movie but if you didn't like science-fiction try to watched from the purpose of this movie. The movie is ended with the scene when Hayabusa entered atmosphere and burning. At some level from the earth, he dropped the samples in capsule. A touching ending when all of people saw Hayabusa's dropped from sky and burnng like meteor. All of the project team was crying when saw Hayabusa burned and lost. Hayabusa succesfully came home with samples and lost. Seven year journey of a space-craft Hayabusa is ended.