The Hayabusa2 Rovers made a film on the surface of an asteroid

The Japanese rovers of MINERVA-II sent back a series of new photos of Ryugu, including a stunning new video taken on the rocky surface of the asteroid.

The 15-frame video was captured by MINERVA-II2, also known as Rover 1B, on September 23, the day she and her companion, MINERVA-II1, landed on Ryugu, an asteroid of 280 million kilometers. Since the earth. The rovers were shipped by the Japanese space probe Hayabusa2, which orbited the asteroid in June.

MINERVA-II, in case you're wondering, means "MIcro Nano experimental robot vehicle for asteroids, the second generation", the first generation being MINERVA from JAXA's first Hayaxa mission.

The short clip shows the gray, dusty and unattractive surface of Ryugu. The sun can be seen drifting from left to right as the asteroid falls into space. A sexy lens effect adds to the dramatic effect of seeing this truly alien world through the eyes of MINERVA-II2's camera, which he has three (MINERVA-II1 has only one). ).

Take a break to reflect on what you really see and celebrate this truly remarkable achievement.

JAXA, the Japanese space agency, also released a bunch of new photos, some taken by MINERVA-II and others by the Hayabusa probe2 when it was last approached.

MINERVA-II probes are real robots able to move on the surface of the asteroid. But instead of using wheels or robots, these probes move by hopping on the surface. Each mobile has a small motor that produces the small amount of force needed to jump. Conventional wheels or tank-like treads would not work, as these forms of locomotion would return the probes to space, due to Ryugu's exceptionally low gravity.

This jump strategy seems to work. On September 23rd, Rover 1B made their first jump taking photos (in space, no one can hear you "WHEEEEEEEE!").

On September 21st, Hayabusa2 took a breathtaking photo (above) of Ryugu at a distance of about 210 feet (64 meters). This is the highest resolution photo of the asteroid surface taken so far during the mission.

At the same time, JAXA engineers are about to decide on the location of the Hayabusa2 landing site, from where he uses his horn to extract samples from the surface of the asteroid. . A new photo (below) shows three candidate sites, of which L08 is currently the favorite. Unlike the images taken by the MINERVA-II rovers, this area looks relatively smooth and uniform, and it is not surprising that the JAXA controllers are seriously considering these three points. No formal decision has yet been made, as JAXA says it continues to evaluate potential sites.

Unlike the MINERVA-II probes, Hayabusa2 returns home. Armed with its surface samples, the spacecraft is expected to return to Earth in 2023. But there is still a lot of science and a perilous landing to accomplish first.