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 An asteroid explorer like the Hayabusa is merely a machine. It was human beings who gave life to this machine. To communicate with a machine, we have to translate our human language into messages the machine can understand. They are called "Commands." Commands are instructions for tasks. For example, "Tilt your head 35 degrees and take a photo," or "acquire a set of data using the infrared observation equipment at such and such a time." A command written by an operator (using a computer keyboard) is the only way for us to talk to the Hayabusa. Now, let me tell you how image data was taken from the Itokawa, which is available for you to observe. The Hayabusa is now 300 million kilometers away from the earth. Even at the speed of light it would take 15 minutes to get there. So, if we took a photo of the Itokawa when we actually saw it, in the same manner as we usually take a photo on the earth, we would definitely miss the best photo opportunity because a round trip there takes 30 minutes at the speed of light. Therefore, we calculate the distance between the explorer and the Itokawa beforehand, send the command to face its onboard camera to a specific direction, and take a photo. For such a maneuver, we need to combine several commands. A set of commands is called a "command line." Command lines are written by operators in charge of the equipment as precise position determination and careful judgment are necessary. Thanks to the very important work of the operators, which requires a great deal of attention, vivid images of the Itokawa have been taken like photos by a camera person sitting and waiting for a camera opportunity just next to the Itokawa. Photo: Sending commands » Story 4: To bring back solid proof of the theory that the origin of a meteorite is an asteroid |
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Story 2