The Rayagu asteroids in Hayabusa 2 are bits sent back to Earth


The fireball ball was taken from Kuber Paddy.

The fireball ball was taken from Kuber Paddy.
Image: JXA

After six years of travel and exploration, THe was hibusa 2 of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency Check On Saturday, scientists sent a hope-filled capsule to Earth There is at least 100 mg of asteroid Ryug, Which is located 186 million miles (300 million kilometers) From the earth. Haibusa 2 has made history by bringing the world back The first satellite Asteroid samples.

The capsule on separated from the main Hibusa 2 spacecraft Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET, According to JXA, And re-entered the surrounding Earth’s atmosphere 12:29 pm and. Upon renting, the capsule soon turned into a fireball, LJAX also guided the recovery team by following in his footsteps. In addition to the trail, the capsule itself Includes a radio beacon, which gave a signal that was found by the mission’s administrators, To help the team Track its location, Per New York Times.

The fireball ball was taken from Kuber Paddy.

The fireball ball was taken from Kuber Paddy.
Image: JXA

Before landing, the capsule deployed a parachute, The goal is to slow down the vehicle and allow it to land gently in the Woomera Prohibited area In shern beyond Australia. Landing was only one part of the task at hand, however Finding small capsules, Which measures about 15 inches (approximately) 40 cm) in diameter.

If you’re thinking, “Well, hey, it’s not like that Also Tiny, ”wait for him: It landed in an area of ​​38 square miles (approximately) 100 square kilometers). aT night. BThe good news is that it has landed in the expected landing area, Which was Quipped with Five antennas To help scientists find the beacon signal of a capsule, Edge report. The space agency also had a helicopter with a beacon receiver Find out and take pictures of the drone.

Do not worry. They got it.

Re-entry capsule storage.

Re-entry capsule storage.
Photo: JXA

Yuchi Tasuda, a Hayabusa2 project managers on JAXA, The agency found the capsule as planned and it was in perfect shape, according to the report Associated Press.

“We were able to land in the Treasury,” Tasuda said. “I’m really looking forward to opening it and looking inside.”

Indeed, for scientists, the Ryuguno asteroid specimen is really like a treasure trove.. As explained by Verge, asteroids are the earliest images of our solar system. They have been around for billions of years, and scientists don’t think they’ve changed much. Some scientists believe that asteroids like Rayugu are possible Brought water to the earth When they struck it, it made the planet habitable there. Asteroid samples can help shed light on this hypothesis.

After arriving in Ryugu in June 2018, Hibusa 2aWorked very hard and Very creative way to get her samples. First off, he fired a Projectile OnTo move around the surface material and then successfully to the surface of the rye By cutting debris into its sample storage device, W.hich is shaped like a horn for his second collection effort, With that in mind Gather Subcutaneous surface from Ryugu by firing Copper pellet On the surface, the underground produces an artificial pit surrounded by asteroid material. Scientists were particularly excited by the effort because the surface is protected from the effects of the underlying weather, such as the effects of cosmic rays or charged particles from the sun.

The fireball ball was taken from Kuber Paddy.

The fireball ball was taken from Kuber Paddy.
Image: JXA

JXA scientists are not sure how large the sample collected by Haibusa 2 is, But they hope it’s at least 100-milligrams, which they say is enough to do their planned research. The first Hybusa mission in 2010 was not achieved Notable sample The asteroid ate ok due to a failure in the spacecraft’s sampling device. As a result, scientists were only able to obtain micrograms of dust from Itoka.

When it comes to Hibusa 2, scientists don’t know until they open the capsule. The capsule will be opened in Japan and the amount of material collected will be announced Afterwards, JXA officials said CNN.

HayabusaHowever, 2 have not retired. After leaving the capsule, he walked away to explore another asteroid, 1998KY26, to address further research questions, including how to find a way to get there. Stop Meteors hitting the earth.

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