- The asteroid probe Hayabusa2, sent by the Japanese space agency JAXA, made two attempts to collect material from the surface of the Ryugu space rock.
- As the now-returned samples reveal, the initial attempt brought together fine particles and sandy material, but the second attempt was much more impressive.
- JAXA describes the second sample which includes rocks almost half an inch long and which are very hard.
Japan’s Hayabusa2 asteroid probe mission took a very, very long time. Flying to and from the asteroid Ryugu took many months and the time the spacecraft spent in orbit around the asteroid was long in itself. The biggest risk to the spacecraft – and one of the most important objectives of the mission – was to bring asteroid samples back to Earth.
He completed this task just a couple of weeks ago and Japan slowly began to reveal information about the samples the probe collected. The first revelation was a bit disappointing, revealing some black, charcoal-like dust and small pebbles from the first sample collection attempt. Now, after JAXA showed off its second batch of asteroid sample material, we can say with certainty that the mission was an absolutely huge success.
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How Enter News according to the report, the latest release of images of asteroid samples gives us a much clearer picture of what Japanese scientists will be working on in the coming months and years. The second sample, in particular, looks promising, with larger chunks of rock that are apparently very hard, according to JAXA.
The differences in the sample material have been attributed to the very different circumstances in which they were collected. The first sample was snatched when Hayabusa2 made a brief tap on the asteroid, so it was mostly smaller dust and pebbles from the surface. For the second sample, the JAXA team used Hayabusa2 to launch a projectile at the asteroid, making a hole in the surface so that material could be collected from the rock.
The fact that the second sample includes large and small rocks suggests that the asteroid’s bedrock varies in terms of hardness, according to JAXA space materials scientist Tomohiro Usui. Asteroid samples are being studied somewhat casually at this time, with observations observed, but much deeper studies into the material and what the rocks may contain will go on for many months and perhaps even years. .
Meanwhile, the asteroid probe itself has not finished its work. after leaving the samples on Earth, the probe sailed back into space. He heads for another asteroid that JAXA wants to study, but this one will take a little longer to arrive. The trip to the asteroid will take 11 years, so we won’t hear about it for long.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games over the past decade, addressing the latest developments and trends in VR, portable devices, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike worked as a technical editor at The Daily Dot and has appeared on USA Today, Time.com and countless other web and print outlets. His love for reporting is only second to his gambling addiction.