The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) showed a collection of samples from the asteroid Ryugu on Thursday following the return of the Hayabusa2 probe.
Curation work for the Ryugu monster is progressing steadily. On December 21, sample collection chambers B & C were opened and then the contents of chamber A & C were moved to the collection containers in the photo. The largest particles in chamber C are about 1 cm! pic.twitter.com/yWO15cKhG9
– HAYABUSA2 @ JAXA (@ haya2e_jaxa) December 24, 2020
Ryugu’s black, gravel-like monsters contain a slew of tiny chips collected from the asteroid’s subsurface. The photo on the right side of the capsule C sample has an image that points to an artificial metal object. JAXA explains that it may be aluminum from the probe’s sampling horn that came from the projectile explosive used to get below the surface.
Samples from Room A were also shared earlier in December, creating a different angle on the space rocks.
Normally, space rocks like this one collect after entering Earth’s atmosphere at scorching surface speeds. These samples from Ryugu are the first to be explored without being damaged on entry, which is key to seeing and better understanding these celestial rocks, according to a report from NPR.
Asteroids like Ryugu, which is about a kilometer in diameter and orbiting our sun, could give us insight into the formation of planets and the early history of solar systems like ours.