Hayabusa2 spacecraft tagged posts

Japan space agency finds ample Soil, Gas from Asteroid

This Dec. 14, 2020, photo released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), shows black grains, right, thought to be from Ryugu are inside the sample container of the re-entry capsule of Hayabusa2, in Sagamihara, near Tokyo. Japan’s space agency said Monday it has confirmed the presence of black soil samples inside a capsule that the spacecraft Hayabusa2 brought back from a distant asteroid last week. (JAXA via AP)

Officials from Japan’s space agency said Tuesday they have found more than the anticipated amount of soil and gases inside a small capsule the country’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft brought back from a distant asteroid this month, a mission they praised as a milestone for planetary research.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said its staff initially spotted some bla...

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Asteroid Ryugu’s Rocky Past

Four images of grey rocks
Surface Rocks. Hayabusa2 captures images of unusually bright S-type rocks that stand out from the darker C-type material that makes up the bulk of Ryugu. © 2020 Tatsumi et al.

Different kinds of rocks on Ryugu provide clues to the asteroid’s turbulent history. Researchers find evidence that asteroid Ryugu was born out of the possible destruction of a larger parent asteroid millions of years ago. Thanks to the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, the international team was able to study certain surface features in detail. Variations in the kinds of boulders scattered on Ryugu tell researchers about the processes involved in its creation. The study of asteroids including Ryugu informs the study of the evolution of life on Earth.

The asteroid Ryugu may look like a solid piece of rock, but it’s more ...

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