BBC World News: Japan's Akatsuki mission lifts off for planet Venus 21 May 2010 1446

Japan has launched a space mission to the planet Venus. The mission will study the planet's atmosphere -- something scientists hope will help them better understand how our own planet could evolve. Also on board the rocket that blasted off from southern Japan was a vehicle which it's hoped will lead to fuel-free space travel. Jonathan Josephs explains.

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• spaceport
• Akatsuki
• Venus
• Kiyoshi Higuchi
• surface pressure
• earth
• JOHN ZARNECKI
• Open University
• orbiter
• spacecraft
• rocket
• space-yacht
• scientists
• cosmos
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• BBC World News

[KaminariKatta]

they must have watched too much naruto...

[G777GUN]

That spacecraft is probably a transformer made by the japanese. Not impossible for them.

[candr]

@Neosaigo True, but Venus is a difficult planet to get to, more then it is to Mars, I'm told. About 1/3 of the 20 or so missions by the U.S. and Russia failed in the early years, so Japan is in good company. If man quit after the first failed try, then he would still be in a dark cave entrance just looking at the evening star.

[Neosaigo]

@candr It really sucks when a space mission fails. :\

[candr]

Unfortunately the ship over shot its mark and captured by the sun's gravitational pull. They will try again when in position in 6 years.

[potheticman]

Prepares to enter orbit

[Rahavin1]

Ive really been looking for a vid on the vehicle's sail system. Ive only been able to find vids in Japanese, which I cant hear, as Im deaf to many non english languages (although I can hear some spanish, german, and thai).