A group of astronomers from NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and other organizations had a front row seat to observe the Hayabusa spacecraft's fiery plunge into Earth's atmosphere. The team flew aboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory, packed with cameras and other imaging instruments, to capture the high-speed re-entry over an unpopulated area of central Australia on June 13, 2010. The Japanese spacecraft completed its seven-year, 1.25 billion mile journey to return a sample of the asteroid Itokawa.
NASA TV
This file was derived from: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA_team_captures_Hayabusa_spacecraft_reentry.ogv" title="File:NASA team captures Hayabusa spacecraft reentry.ogv">NASA team captures Hayabusa spacecraft reentry.ogv</a><br>