About One Year
Extreme accuracy is required to thread this needle.
Approximately one year was spent completing the final stages of the gravity assist.
Yeah!
We've already sighted the earth.
Now then, how goes the attempts so far to chat?
May, 2004
It'd simmer in this solar heat.
Well, it's good that we brought butter then.
Looks like a potato.
This was officially announced based on the shape of the radar observation.
The asteroid Hayabusa is aimed at is named "Itokawa".
* Itokawa<p>This asteroid's name was officially decided on August 6th, 2003, about 3 months after Hayabusa-san had taken off from Earth.</p><p>The origin of the name is, of course, Dr. Itokawa.
Because they wanted to have an appropriate name for Hayabusa-san's destination, ISAS petitioned to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), who accepted the bid for the name.</p><p>On April 16th 2004, ISAS, using NASA's radar observation, revealed Figure of Itokawa to the public.</p>
* Potato<p>In radar observations, Itokawa, drawn with computer graphics, is a long ellipse on its side. It looks like a May Queen potato.</p>
May queen is a particularly popular variety of potato in Japan
* Butter<p>Of course that's a joke.</p><p>But Jyaga-butter (boiled potatoes with butter) is delicious isn't it?</p><p>As far as potatoes used in Jyaga-butter go, Irish Cobbler potatoes taste better than May Queen ones.</p>
Jyaga-butter is a famous dish from Hokkaido
* Thread this needle<p>Of course there is only one chance to succeed.</p><p>This was a real challenge for Sagami-san's (in reality ground staff's) brains, skill and nerve.</p>
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