[ad_1]
The Japanese probe Hayabusa 2 and the Franco-German lander MASCOT have teamed up to return a breathtaking view of an asteroid located more than 180 million kilometers from the Earth, including a snapshot of the lander falling on the ground. Asteroid and a view of its rocky terrain.
Scientists shared the images today at the International Astronautical Congress in Germany, when summarizing MASCOT's successful 17-hour survey of the asteroid Ryugu. Hayabusa 2, which hovers over the asteroid half a kilometer wide for weeks, has dropped the foot shaped lug, the width of a foot , on the surface Wednesday.
MASCOT stands for Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout. The robot performed a scientific scan with its four instruments – a camera, a radiometer, a magnetometer and an infrared spectrometer – and used its robotic robotic arm to jump on the surface. It worked for three days asteroids and two asteroid nights, each day-night complete cycle having lasted about seven hours and 36 minutes.
"With MASCOT, it was possible to explore for the first time the surface of an asteroid directly on site," said Hansjörg Dittus, member of the board of directors for space research and technology at the 39 German space agency DLR, in a press release. .
MASCOT loaded a treasure trove of images and data on Hayabusa 2 to store it before its batteries ran out, and the Japanese probe relayed images and readings to Earth.
"The evaluation of valuable data is just beginning," said Tra-Mi Ho, MASCOT Project Manager, a researcher at DLR's Institute of Space Systems. "We will learn a lot about the past of the solar system and the importance of near-Earth asteroids such as Ryugu."
MASCOT's mission took place two weeks after Hayabusa 2 deployed two mini-rovers on Ryugu's surface for a first reconnaissance campaign. In the coming months, Hayabusa 2 will descend on the asteroid and explode rock fragments from the surface to collect them. He also has another mini-rover to release.
The probe is expected to begin the journey back to Earth next year and drop off its samples during a flyby of the end of 2020.
Here is an image gallery of MASCOT and Hayabusa 2:
The MASCOT boxy undercarriage is visible towards the upper edge of this image captured by the Hayabusa 2 probe just after the release of MASCOT. The rugged terrain of the Ryugu asteroid provides a backdrop. (Credit: JAXA, Tokyo University, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, Aizu University, AIST)
Take out your red-blue glasses to see an anaglyph 3D version of Hayabusa 2's view of Ryugu and the descent of MASCOT. (Credit: JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, Aizu University, AIST / Wolfgang Muehle Supplementary Treatment)
X marks the place on the asteroid Ryugu where MASCOT landed. (Credit: JAXA, Tokyo University, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, Aizu University, AIST)
An image captured by the Hayabusa 2 probe shows its own shadow, as well as the reflection of the MASCOT lander and its shadow as it descends to the Ryugu surface. Inlaid images allow to enlarge the characteristics, with measurements in meters. (Credit: JAXA, Tokyo University, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, Aizu University, AIST)
Source link
