Scientists find black sand-like dust and gas from distant asteroid Ryugu inside sample capsule from Japanese space probe Hayabusa-2
- The Hayabusa-2 space probe returned the samples to Earth on December 6
- They landed in the Australian outback and were collected by JAXA officials
- When first opening the container they found more soil and gas than expected
- Initial studies are being made by Japanese scientists with follow ups form NASA Scientists were left 'speechless' after finding a good amount of black sand-like dust and gas samples inside a capsule returned to Earth from asteroid Ryugu.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials said they found more than the anticipated amount of soil and gas inside the small capsule.
The Hayabusa-2 space probe returned the samples to Earth on December 6 and scientists hope the contents will help shed light on the origins of our solar system. The small capsule landed in the Australian outback on December 6 were it was collected by JAXA experts, marking the end of a six-year round trip to the asteroid Ryugu which is 190 million miles from the Earth.
'We were aiming for 100 mg or more, and we definitely got that,' said Hirotaka Sawada at (JAXA), who said he was speechless when he first glimpsed the sample.
This image of the inside of the capsule shows black grains, right, thought to be from Ryugu
The Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft is seen here landing on an asteroid to collect samples
Samples of surface dust, including some pebble sized, can be seen in this image of the opened capsule
Some black particles sitting on the bottom of the capsule's sample-catcher were the first to be spotted when scientists pulled out the container on Monday.
By Tuesday, scientists found more of the soil and gas samples in a compartment that stored those from the first of Hayabusa's two touchdowns on the asteroid last year.
'We have confirmed a good amount of sand apparently collected from the asteroid Ryugu, along with gases,' said JAXA Hayabusa2 project manager Yuichi Tsuda.
'The samples from outside of our planet, which we have long dreamed of, are now in our hands,' adding it was a major milestone for planetary science.The pan-shaped capsule, 15 inches in diameter, was dropped by Hayabusa2 from space to a predetermined spot in a sparsely populated Australian desert.
The capsule arrived in Japan last Tuesday for research that scientists hope will provide insight into the origins of the solar system and life on Earth.
Hirotaka Sawada, a JAXA scientist, was the first to look inside the capsule's sample-catcher and said he was filled with joy when he found the samples inside included some that were the size of grain and pebbles - not just dust sized.
Soil samples looked like dark coffee grounds or black sesame seeds.
Scientists are hoping the samples, taken from the asteroid's subsurface, can provide information from the very earliest days of our solar system billions of years ago.
This is because being under the subsurface of an ancient asteroid, they are unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors.
A small capsule dropped by Japans' Hayabusa2 spacecraft in a container box arrived at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's research facility in Sagamihara, near Tokyo
The samples came from distant asteroid Ryugu - pictured here in an image taken by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft
JAXA scientists say they are particularly interested in organic materials in the samples to learn about how they were distributed in the solar system and if they are related to life on Earth.
Sei-ichiro Watanabe, a Nagoya University earth and environment scientist working with JAXA, said having more sample material to work with than expected is great news as it will expand the scope of studies.
The samples were gathered from two touchdowns that Hayabusa2 made last year on Ryugu - both more difficult than expected due to the very rocky surface.
The first collected samples from Ryugu's surface and the second from underground - each of the two samples were stored separetly inside the capsule.
JAXA said it will look into another compartment, used for a second touchdown, next week, and will continue an initial examination.
Following studies in Japan, some of the samples will be shared with NASA and other international groups for additional research beginning in 2022.
EXPLAINED: HAYABUSA-2 ENDS SIX YEAR MISSION WITH CAPSULE LANDING IN AUSTRALIA
A small capsule containing asteroid soil samples that was dropped from 136,700 miles in space by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft landed as planned in the Australian Outback on Sunday, December 6.
A member of JAXA retrieves a capsule dropped by Hayabusa2 in Woomera, southern Australia
WHAT IS THE HAYABUSA2 MISSION?
Launched on December 3, 2014, the crewless Hayabusa2 spacecraft touched down twice on the asteroid Ryugu, more than 190 million miles away
The asteroid's extremely rocky surface forced the mission's team to revise landing plans, but the spacecraft successfully collected data and soil samples during the 1½ years it spent near Ryugu after arriving there in June 2018.
In its first touchdown in February 2019, the spacecraft collected surface dust samples, and Hayabusa2 later blasted a crater into the asteroid's surface and then collected underground samples from the asteroid.
Japan hopes to use the expertise and technology used in the Hayabusa2 in the future, perhaps in its 2024 MMX sample-return mission to a Martian moon.
WHY AN ASTEROID?
Asteroids are among the oldest objects in the solar system and therefore may contain clues into how Earth evolved. Scientists say that requires studying samples from such celestial objects.
Ryugu in Japanese means 'Dragon Palace,' the name of a sea-bottom castle in a Japanese folk tale.
Japan's research into asteroids also may contribute to resource development and to finding ways to protect Earth from collisions with big meteorites, said Hitoshi Kuninaka, JAXA's vice president.
WHAT´S INSIDE THE CAPSULE?
The pan-shaped capsule, about 15 inches in diameter, contains soil samples taken from two different sites on the asteroid.
Some gases might also be embedded in the samples. The preliminary inspection at a lab in Australia was to extract and analyze the gas.
The capsule is due to return to Japan on Tuesday. It will be taken to JAXA's research centre in Sagamihara, near Tokyo.
WHAT CAN ASTEROID SAMPLES TELL US?
Scientists say the samples, especially ones taken from under the asteroid's surface, contain data from 4.6 billion years ago unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors.
They are particularly interested in studying organic materials in the samples to learn about how they are distributed in the solar system and if or how they are related to life on Earth.
JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa said he believes analysis of the samples may help explain the origins of the solar system and how water helped to bring life to Earth.
Fragments brought back from Ryugu can also tell its collision and thermal history.
After about a year, some of the samples will be shared with NASA and other international scientists.
About 40 per cent of them will be stored for future research. JAXA mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa said just 0.1 gram of the sample can be enough to conduct the planned research, though he said more would be better.
WHY IS HAYABUSA SUCH A BIG DEAL FOR JAPAN?
Hayabusa2 is a successor of the original Hayabusa mission that Japan launched in 2003.
After a series of technical setbacks, it sent back samples from another asteroid, Itokawa, in 2010. The spacecraft was burned up in a failed re-entry but the capsule made it to Earth.
Many Japanese were impressed by the first Hayabusa spaceship's return, which was considered a miracle given all the troubles it encountered.
JAXA's subsequent Venus and Mars missions also were flawed. Tsuda said the Hayabusa2 team used all the hard lessons learned from the earlier missions to accomplish a 100 times better than 'perfect' outcome.
Some members of the public who watched the event shed tears as the capsule successfully entered the atmosphere, briefly flaring into a fireball.
WHAT'S NEXT?
About an hour after separating from the capsule at 220,000 kilometers (136,700 miles) from Earth, Hayabusa2 was sent on another mission to the smaller asteroid, 1998KY26.
That is an 11-year journey one-way. The mission is to study possible ways to prevent big meteorites from colliding with Earth.
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