- The asteroid probe Hayabusa2, sent by the Japanese space agency JAXA, made two attempts to collect material from the surface of the space rock Ryugu.
- As the now returned samples reveal, the first attempt collected fine particles and gritty material, but the second attempt was much more impressive.
- JAXA describes that the second sample contains stones as big as nearly half an inch, and they are very hard.
The mission of the asteroid probe Hayabusa2 in Japan was very long. 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 main objectives of the mission – was to return asteroid monsters to Earth.
It completed that task just a few weeks ago, and Japan slowly began to reveal information about the samples the probe had collected. The initial disclosure was somewhat disappointing, revealing some black, charcoal-like dust and small stones from the first sample collection attempt. Now, after JAXA showed its second batch of asteroid monster material, we can say with certainty that the mission was an absolute success.
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Such as Enter News Reports, the most recent release of images of the asteroid samples gives us a much clearer picture of what Japanese scientists will be working with in the months and years to come. The second sample in particular looks promising, with bigger chunks of rock that are apparently very hard, according to JAXA.
The differences in the sample material are attributed to the very different conditions under which they were collected. The first sample was snatched when Hayabusa2 made a short landing on the asteroid, so it was mostly dust and smaller stones from the surface. For the second sample, the JAXA team used Hayabusa2 to launch a projectile on the asteroid, blowing a hole in the surface so that material could be collected from the rock.
The fact that the second sample contains both large and small rocks suggests that the asteroid’s base varies in terms of hardness, according to JAXA space materials scientist Tomohiro Usui. The asteroid samples are currently being studied in a somewhat casual fashion, noting observations, but the much more in-depth studies of the material and what the rocks may contain will happen over many months and maybe even years.
Meanwhile, the asteroid probe itself has not yet finished its work. after the samples were deposited on Earth, the probe flew back into space. It is heading for another asteroid that JAXA wants to study, but it will take a little longer to reach it. The journey to the asteroid will take 11 years, so we won’t be hearing much about that in the near future.
Mike Wehner has spent the last decade reporting on technology and video games, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, appearing in USA Today, Time.com and numerous other web and print outlets. His love of reporting comes second to his gaming addiction.