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Japan’s space agency says its final checks confirmed that the Hayabusa2 spacecraft is on its way to return to Earth a capsule containing samples from a distant asteroid that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on our planet.
TOKYO – Japan’s space agency said its final checks confirmed that the Hayabusa2 spacecraft is on its way to return to Earth a capsule containing samples from a distant asteroid that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life in our planet. planet.
The spacecraft is making its final approach on its planned trajectory and is scheduled to separate the capsule on Saturday afternoon from 220,000 kilometers (136,700 miles) in a challenge that requires precision control. The capsule is scheduled to land in a remote and sparsely populated area of Woomera, Australia, on Sunday.
Hayabusa2 left the asteroid Ryugu, about 300 million kilometers (180 million miles) away, a year ago and was flying smoothly as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.
“We trained and now we are fully prepared. So I just pray that the equipment that has not yet been used works well and that there is good weather in Australia, ”Yuichi Tsuda, Hayabusa2 project manager at JAXA said Friday. “We are very excited.”
Many Hayabusa2 fans gathered to observe the moment of the capsule’s separation at public viewing events across the country, including one at Tokyo Dome.
In the early hours of Sunday, the capsule, protected by a heat shield, will briefly turn into a fireball when it re-enters the atmosphere at 120 kilometers (75 miles) above Earth. Approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) above the ground, a parachute will open to slow your fall and beacon signals will be transmitted to indicate your location.
JAXA personnel have installed satellite dishes at various locations in the target area to receive the signals, while also preparing marine radar, drones and helicopters to assist in the search and recovery of the 40-centimeter dish-shaped capsule ( 15 inches) in diameter.
Scientists say they believe the samples, especially those taken below the asteroid’s surface, contain valuable data that is unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors. They are particularly interested in analyzing organic materials in samples.
JAXA hopes to find clues about how materials are distributed in the solar system and how they relate to life on Earth.
For Hayabusa2, it is not the end of the mission that began in 2014. After dropping the capsule, it will return to space and head to another small distant asteroid called 1998KY26 on a 10-year one-way trip.
So far, your mission has been totally successful. It landed twice on Ryugu despite its extremely rocky surface, and successfully collected data and samples during the year and a half that it passed near Ryugu after arriving there in June 2018.
On its first landing in February 2019, it collected dust samples from the surface. On a more challenging mission in July of that year, it collected underground samples of the asteroid for the first time in space history after landing in a crater it previously created by blowing up the asteroid’s surface.
Asteroids, which orbit the sun but are much smaller than planets, are among the oldest objects in the solar system and can therefore help explain how Earth evolved.
Ryugu in Japanese means “Dragon Palace”, the name of a castle at the bottom of the sea in a Japanese folk tale.
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