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Japan has dropped explosives on the Ryugu asteroid in order to create a new crater to study. Hayabusa2, a hard worker, began the risky procedure on Friday. The JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, said that this mission was the first step in the attempt to collect samples of underground asteroids in order to find clues about the origin of the solar system.
RELATED: HAYABUSA2 SPACE PROBE SET TO COLLECT SAMPLES FROM RYUGU ASTEROID
The JAXA confirmed that the spacecraft Hayabusa2 had dropped a small explosive box called Small Cabin Impactor (SCI) that was sending a ball of copper the size of a baseball hitting the asteroid. To avoid any damage due to impact and flying particles, Hayabusa2 had to move to the other side of the asteroid.
[SCI] The deployable camera, DCAM3, successfully photographed the collision ejector between the SCI and the Ryugu surface. This is the world's first crash experience with an asteroid! In the future, we will examine the crater formed and the manner in which the ejector has dispersed. pic.twitter.com/eLm6ztM4VX
– HAYABUSA2 @ JAXA (@ haya2e_jaxa) April 5, 2019
Spacecraft escaped unscathed
The data received from the spacecraft indicate that he escaped unscathed and that everything is functioning normally. The space camera deployed a small camera a few moments before escaping, which captured the moment of detonation on the surface of the asteroid at a distance of about 1 km.
Hayabusa2 will now return to the exploded side of the asteroid to collect the samples from the explosion. It will be necessary to wait until all the dust and the debris of the explosion have fallen before trying to return towards the new crater.
History of the unlocked solar system
The scientists at the mission hope that the samples collected will give them a new insight into the history of the solar system, as the asteroids are remnants of material from its formation. This will be the first time that samples of underground asteroids are collected.
NASA undertook a "deep impact" mission during which it exploded the surface of a comet but only observed the resulting agitated surface. Until now, the Hayabusa2 mission has done a lot of scientific research. by throwing a ball into the ball and last month, the JAXA announced that it had detected hydroxylated minerals on the asteroid by analyzing near-infrared spectrometer readings made by the satellite.
Revolutionary science continues
This incredible discovery could help explain the origin of the Earth's water. The findings were published in the online edition of Science magazine. Mission researchers said it was too early to celebrate Hayabusa's historic efforts2 and that they still had a lot of missions to accomplish for the spacecraft.
Hayabusa2 is expected to leave the asteroid by the end of 2019 and bring back surface fragments and underground specimens by the end of 2020. Ryugu owes its name to an underwater palace in a Japanese folk tale of about 300 millions of kilometers. From the earth.
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