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After a three-and-a-half-year trip, a Japanese spacecraft arrived near the rhomboid-shaped asteroid Ryugu – which many compared to a rough diamond or summit.
Hayabusa 2 left the Tanegashima Space Base
Makoto Yoshikawa, Mission Manager, explained the next steps of Hayabusa 2 BBC: "First, let's study carefully."
The mission aims to collect rock samples and soil from the asteroid. the characteristics of the surface, and then choose the location of the landing to collect the material. "
The idea is to launch a copper projectile – called an impactor – from the Hayabyusa 2 – to the surface of the asteroid.Once the Hayabusa 2 is at a safe distance, an explosive charge will be detonated in the projectile to launch it at high speed towards the surface of the asteroid and, with impact, create a crater.
Major Mission
From Ryugu's Samples, Scientists Hope to Advance in Studies of the Origin and Evolution of the Solar System
Asteroids Are Essentially remnants of the formation of the solar system, there are 4.6 billion years. They contain water, organic compounds – they are rich in carbon – and precious metals
They are so important that there are companies that badyze the feasibility of exploring the l & # 39; Asteroids Exploitation
Unexpected Format
Yoshikawa, who is a professor at the Japan Institute of Space Science and Astronautics, said that the form of the & 90,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Asteroid is completely unexpected, as is the duration of its rotational motion.
For him, asteroids that have this shape tend to have short "days", rotating every three or four hours. But Ryugu's rotation period is relatively long: about 7.5 hours
"Many researchers in our project believed that Ryugu's rotation period was shorter in the past, that is, to say that she was running faster but that's an interesting feature, "Yoshikawa said.
Hayabusa 2 will spend about a year and a half looking for the 900-meter-wide asteroid
During this period, scientists expect to land on Ryugu a robot and an autonomous badyzer called Mascot – who will send information to the mother ship.
The probe itself will land on the asteroid to collect material.
The Ryugu asteroid is of a type called C, considered relatively primitive. This means that it can be rich in organic and hydrated minerals. Therefore, badyzing the composition of asteroids will help to understand the molecular makeup that has contributed to the creation of life on Earth.
It is likely that the surface of the asteroid has worn out and has been altered by exposure to the hostile environment. . This is why Hayabusa 2 scientists want to be able to find samples of the deepest parts of the celestial body.
Hayabusa 2 carries the Lidar instrument, which measures distances through light variations and serves as a navigation sensor.
On Tuesday, the researchers successfully used the Lidar to measure the distance between the Hayabusa 2 and the asteroid for the first time
The Japanese mission is due to leave Ryugu in December 2019 and returned to Earth in 2020.
The first Hayabusa was launched in 2003 and landed on the asteroid of Itokawa in 2005. Despite a series of setbacks, he returned to Earth in 2010 with a small amount of samples d & # 39; asteroids. BBC – All rights reserved – Reproduction is prohibited without the written permission of the BBC
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