THE beleaguered space probe Hayabusa, aka peregrine falcon, has struggled to live up to its name. Only some nifty space engineering has put the craft back on course for Earth.
In 2005, Hayabusa landed twice on the asteroid Itokawa but failed to dislodge any material for collection. It then spun temporarily out of control. Eventually, engineers managed to set it on a path for home. But the going was slow as only one of its four ion engines was working.
Now, the mission team has cobbled together another engine using parts from two sick ones, the Japan Aerospace Exploration…
