Showakusei Tansa Ki Hayabusa "Tamatebako" Ha Hirakareta in Color (Chukoshinsho)

[Machine Translation] What was the idea behind Hayabusa, the first human spacecraft to leave the Earth's gravitational field, navigate through space, land on another celestial body, collect samples, and return to Earth? From its launch, to landing on Itokawa, to its unprecedented rescue, to its return with wounds all over its body, to the confirmation of the samples, how was this mission carried out, which was even called "a wonder that it is still alive"? The author, who led the project from its birth to its return, shares his thoughts on HAYABUSA.

地球の引力圏を離れて宇宙を航行し、他の天体に着陸してサンプルを採取し、地球に帰ってくる-人類初の偉業を成し遂げた「はやぶさ」は、どんな発想で生まれたのか。そして打ち上げから、イトカワへの着陸、空前絶後の救出、満身創痍の帰還、サンプル確認まで、「生きているのが不思議」とまで言われたミッションはどのように行われたのか。誕生から帰還まで、プロジェクトを先導した著者が「はやぶさ」への思いを語る。