Surprise Me!

Japanese spacecraft readying to sample ancient asteroid

2019-02-12 20 Dailymotion

JAPAN — Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is scheduled to collect rock samples from the asteroid Ryugu on February 22.<br /><br />The spacecraft will fire a 5 gram projectile made of metal tantalum onto the asteroid's surface while touching down, according to the BBC.<br /><br />The particles that fly up will then be collected by the spacecraft's sampler horn as Hayabusa 2 descends onto the asteroid's surface.<br /><br />The scientists involved believe the samples will provide insight into the evolution and origin of the Earth as Ryugu is believed to be an ancient asteroid.<br /><br />Hayabusa 2 had previously deployed two rovers that explored Ryugu's surface. They sent back images and data of the asteroid to Earth.<br /><br />The spacecraft is expected to return to Earth with the samples in 2020.

Buy Now on CodeCanyon