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The Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 was able to fire a projectile on an asteroid during the first experiment of this type in the world, announced Friday the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Japan has experimented with collecting samples as part of the probe's mission of exploring the origin of life and the evolution of the solar system.
(The computer graphic provided shows the image of the Hayabusa 2 asteroid explorer of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, landing on the Ryugu asteroid.)[Photo courtesy of JAXA]
"The metal bullet hit the surface of the Ryugu asteroid and materials burst," said Yuichi Tsuda, an associate professor at JAXA.
"The experiment was a success," he said. "It's the first time that such a feat has been achieved in the world."
The JAXA will not be able to confirm if a crater was successfully created by the end of April and the probe is expected to land on Ryugu in May, he said.
The probe will collect in the crater underwater samples of the asteroid, which would contain organic substances and water, as well as remnants of the early solar system, the agency said.
(Yuichi Tsuda, JAXA Associate Professor, talks about the Hayabusa2 spacecraft)
Hayabusa2 separated a cabin impactor 500 meters above the surface of the asteroid after starting its descent Thursday from its original position 20 kilometers away.
The impactor was set to explode 40 minutes after separation, projecting a copper "impact head" into the designated area at a speed of 2 km per second to create the crater.
The head of the impactor landed relatively close to the targeted area, with a diameter of 400 meters and close to the equator.
After releasing a camera to capture images of the impact of the projectile, it was confirmed that the probe had temporarily moved behind the asteroid to escape the debris caused by the detonation and the explosion. impact of the projectile.
(A small cabin impactor, of the same type, mounted on the Hayabusa2 spacecraft.)
The probe will return to its original position on April 16 and land on Ryugu after ensuring that no debris floats.
She will also study the internal structure of the asteroid by observing the surface before and after the collision of projectiles, and will obtain the data needed for the science of planetary collisions, according to the JAXA.
"It's a tough mission, but we have prepared ourselves well," said Takashi Kubota, a professor at the JAXA's Institute of Space Science and Astronautics, at a press conference in Beijing. morning. "
Smiles were spread among the Hayabusa2 operation team of the Sagamihara Institute, Kanagawa Prefecture, confirming the success of each scheduled milestone.
Fans also gathered in a city museum to participate in a public event, closely monitoring the progress made in the operating room.
"It's amazing that (Hayabusa2) is moving precisely, even if it's located far from it," said Kotaro Shigemori, 9, of Tokyo.
High technology is needed to separate an impactor and detonate it about 300 million kilometers from the Earth while letting the probe navigate by itself. If the mission is successful, it is hoped that Japan will take a leading position in the field of asteroidal probes in the future.
Launched in December 2014 from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, Hayabusa2 reached Ryugu last June after traveling 340 million km.
He landed in February to collect surface samples and found hydrated minerals that will help scientists determine if the asteroids brought water to Earth as expected.
Hayabusa2 is expected to return to Earth by the end of 2020.
Asteroids like Ryugu are often compared to a fossil because they are thought to have kept track of the time of the birth of the solar system. But Ryugu's surface has withstood the impact of the solar wind, forcing to dig deep to collect such materials.
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