Japanese Spacecraft Hayabusa 2 Lands on Asteroid Ryugu, Shoots a Bullet to Collect Sample Successfully
Ryugu is near to the earth, about 280 million kilometers from the eath. It is 900 meters in diameter.
Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 has completed the next phase of its long mission successfully. It landed on an asteroid it has been circling for the past few days and also shot a bullet at it. Scientists are hoping that the bullet shot would have helped to gather some material of the asteroid on the spacecraft. This material could help in providing better clues about the origin of the solar system and also the formartion of our planet Earth. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency control center appreciated the Hayabusa 2 mission. Origin of Life From Asteroids? Japan's Spacecraft Hayabusa 2 is Arriving at Asteroid Ryugu to Find Out.
This mission is a sequel to another spacecraft (Hayabusa) which was in space for 7 years and also observed an asteroid. The asteroid which Hayabusa 2 landed on is called Ryugu. Ryugu is near to the earth, about 280 million kilometers from the eath. It is 900 meters in diameter. Scientists have already identified it is a carbon-rich type and it is likely that the rocks here may contain water. The Hayabusa 2 has planned three touchdowns which means shooting into the asteroid to blow up material from its surface. NASA Probe Finds Water on Asteroid Bennu.
Check The Touchdown Site for Hayabusa 2 on Ryugu Asteroid
This touchdown was supposed to take place last year but the images relayed by the rovers showed the rocky surface of Ryugu, so more planning was required. Hayabusa 2 is expected to return back to earth in the year 2020.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2019 03:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).