A dark selfie taken 280 million kilometers from the Earth

On September 21, 2018, 280 million kilometers from the Earth, a cube of about 1.5 square meters descended to a primitive space rock. After years of planning and four years of flying, this tiny spaceship captured this "selfie" by moving closer to the Ryugu asteroid, just 80 meters from the formation of our solar system, there are 4,6 billion years.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft is operated by the Japan Space Agency (JAXA), thanks in part to ESA's Estrack Malargüe deepwater monitoring station. The spacecraft carries four small landers that will explore the surface of the asteroid, all four designed to gently fall on rock rock surface, taking advantage of its low gravity environment.

At about the time this remarkable photo was taken, the spacecraft released its two MINERVA-II1 rovers that have since successfully landed and demonstrated their ability to bypass this rock-strewn body.

"I can not find words to say how happy I am that we were able to do mobile exploration on the surface of an asteroid," said Yuichi Tsuda, project manager Hayabusa2. "I am proud that Hayabusa2 technology for a new method of space exploration by surface movement on small bodies."

The next step will see the MASCOT lander (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) released on the surface of the asteroid. Developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in cooperation with the French Space Agency (CNES), MASCOT has enough power for a 12-hour mission during which it will analyze the surface of the asteroid on two sites different.

The spacecraft Hayabusa2 will collect three samples of Ryugu himself, bringing them back to Earth in December 2020. These strange specimens will give an overview of the composition of this carbon asteroid – a type of rock that supposedly preserves some of the most virgin materials in the world. planet. Solar system.

In addition to shedding light on the origins and evolution of the inner planets and sources of water and organic compounds on Earth, this knowledge should help protect our planet from marauding masses too close to comfort of our planet. .

Understanding the composition and characteristics of objects close to the Earth is vital to us in defending them, if we want to go in our direction. The Hera mission proposed by ESA to test asteroid deflection is an ambitious example of how we can better understand these ancient bodies, in the name of planetary defense.

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