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Near-Ultraviolet and Visible Spectroscopy of HAYABUSA Spacecraft Re-entry
HAYABUSA is the first spacecraft ever to land on and lift off from any
celestial body other than the moon. The mission, which returned asteroid
samples to the Earth while overcoming various technical hurdles, ended on June
13, 2010, with the planned atmospheric re-entry. In order to safely deliver the
sample return capsule, the HAYABUSA spacecraft ended its 7-year journey in a
brilliant "artificial fireball" over the Australian desert. Spectroscopic
observation was carried out in the near-ultraviolet and visible wavelengths
between 3000 and 7500 \AA at 3 - 20 \AA resolution. Approximately 100 atomic
lines such as Fe I, Mg I, Na I, Al I, Cr I, Mn I, Ni I, Ti I, Li I, Zn I, O I,
and N I were identified from the spacecraft. Exotic atoms such as Cu I, Mo I,
Xe I and Hg I were also detected. A strong Li I line (6708 \AA) at a height of
~55 km originated from the onboard Li-Ion batteries. The FeO molecule bands at
a height of ~63 km were probably formed in the wake of the spacecraft. The
effective excitation temperature as determined from the atomic lines varied
from 4500 K to 6000 K. The observed number density of Fe I was about 10 times
more abundant than Mg I after the spacecraft explosion. N2+(1-) bands from a
shock layer and CN violet bands from the sample return capsule's ablating heat
shield were dominant molecular bands in the near-ultraviolet region of 3000 -
4000 \AA. OH(A-X) band was likely to exist around 3092 \AA. A strong shock
layer from the HAYABUSA spacecraft was rapidly formed at heights between 93 km
and 83 km, which was confirmed by detection of N2+(1-) bands with a vibration
temperature of ~13000 K. Gray-body temperature of the capsule at a height of
~42 km was estimated to be ~2437 K which is matched to a theoretical
prediction. The final message of the HAYABUSA spacecraft and its sample return
capsule are discussed through our spectroscopy.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASJ, 22 pages, 7 figures, 6 table