The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JXA) on Thursday showed a collection of samples of the asteroid Ryugu after returning the Hayabusa 2 probe.
The curation work for the Ryugu sample is constantly progressing. On December 21, the sample catcher chambers B and C were opened and then the contents of chambers A and C were moved to the storage container in the photo. The largest particles in chamber C are about 1 cm. pic.twitter.com/yWO15cKhG9
– HAYABUSA2 JAXA (@ haya2e_jaxa) December 24, 2020
Ryugu’s black, gravel specimens contain a whole bunch of small chips collected from a satellite of an asteroid. The capsule C has a graphic in the photo to the right of the sample pointing to a synthetic, metallic object. JAXA explains That it is probably the aluminum from the horns of the probe specimen that descended from the projectile used to come down from the surface.
In early December, samples of the chamber were also distributed, giving another angle to the rocks in space.
Typically, space rocks like these are collected after entering the Earth’s atmosphere at a surface-degraded motion. This is the first time these specimens from Ryugu have been examined without damage during entry, which the NPR report said is the key to clearly understanding and comprehending these celestial rocks.
An asteroid like Rayugu, which is about a kilometer in diameter and orbits our Sun, can give an insight into the formation of planets and the early history of a solar system like ours.
