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Once again, Hayabusa2's MASCOT robot completed its mission of exploring, probing and photographing the surface of the asteroid Ryugu. The rover spent three days on asteroids, or 17 hours on Earth, jumping on this asteroid and conducting research with the help of a wide range of very powerful instruments. Before the end of its battery, MASCOT successfully transmitted the first data of this type to Hayabusa2. Once sent back to Earth, scientists will use the statistics to track the asteroid's course in space and decode the elements that made up our old solar system.
Another rover is planned for next summer and the long-awaited "punch" of Hayabusa2 in the asteroid to collect samples for his return to Earth.
A rocky landing
The 3rd of October Hayabusa2 descended 20 km above Ryugu, the area in which he has been suspended since his arrival in June, to drop MASCOT about 60 meters above the asteroid. The small box-shaped rover, which measures less than one meter in diameter and weighs only 10 kg, did not have the most stable landing.
The researchers knew that because of the gravitational pull of the asteroid, MASCOT would bounce off the surface when it landed, leaving it in a troublesome lateral position. But thanks to a motorized swingarm and position sensors that help the rover to steer, he managed to get a quick start.
Time for science
MASCOT, now in a vertical position, spent his first 7-hour day on Ryugu to study his landing site. He used his wide angle camera to photograph the physical characteristics of the asteroid and take measurements of geological features, giving researchers an idea of the environment in which it was formed and its wear over the years. The mobile also used a magnetometer to test the asteroid's magnetic field strength and recorded its surface temperature using a high-power radiometer, which will help determine how well Ryugu retains heat.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the mobile has used its infrared spectrometer to probe the asteroid and determine its composition. Asteroids, unlike planets and moons, are assumed to have the same structure and chemical composition as when formed at the very beginning of our solar system. Some hypothesized that asteroids were responsible for transporting organic molecules, such as water, into our old neighborhood. By searching for hydrated material in Ryugu's composition, researchers could find evidence that corroborates this theory.
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