An asteroid struck by explosives in a Japanese spacecraft: NPR

The Japanese Hayabusa2, seen in this illustration, probes the Ryugu asteroid since 2018. The spacecraft is collecting samples that will be sent back to Earth.

JAXA / Akihiro Ikeshita


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JAXA / Akihiro Ikeshita

The Japanese Hayabusa2, seen in this illustration, probes the Ryugu asteroid since 2018. The spacecraft is collecting samples that will be sent back to Earth.

JAXA / Akihiro Ikeshita

Early Friday morning, the Japanese space shuttle Hayabusa2 detonated an explosive device on a small asteroid. The goal was to create a new crater that will be studied by the spacecraft.

The researchers followed the control of the mission in Sagamihara, Japan, and politely applauded when Hayabusa2 released an experiment known as Small Impactor after The device consisted of a copper disc filled with explosive HMX. Once the mothership left the firing line safely, the impactor apparently exploded, pulling the disc to the side of the asteroid. A camera released by Hayabusa2 seemed to catch the moment of impact, which sent a stream of ejecta into space.

"That happened perfectly," said Harold C. Connolly Jr., a geologist at Rowan University in New Jersey, and co-investigator on Hayabusa2.

The asteroid is a piece of bare rock called Ryugu, which measures less than a mile and a half in orbit between Earth and Mars. The researchers believe that Ryugu could be similar to the first space rocks that united to form planets, including the Earth.

"These asteroids are the precursors to the making of the Earth," says Connolly. Ryugu is rich in carbon and, on its surface, minerals contain water and so-called prebiotic compounds that could have triggered life on this planet.

"Ryugu is a time capsule," says Connolly.

This is not the first attack of Hayabusa2. In February, the probe physically touched Ryugu and shot a small pellet on its surface. The dust raised by this opening has been collected and will eventually provide researchers with detailed information on the composition of the asteroid.

But to fully understand Ryugu, the researchers also want to know what's going on there and that's why they created Friday's crater. In a few weeks, once the dust settles, the small spaceship will examine the site of the explosion to see what lies below. It can even land a second time to collect underground samples.

The probe is expected to leave Ryugu later this year and bring back samples to scientists on Earth. On return, he will eject a Ryugu dust capsule that should land in the Australian outback