The voyage home: Japan's Hayabusa-2 probe to head for Earth japantoday.com

posted by  AkihabaraBot | 5 years ago in Science & Technology

The samples collected by Japan's Hayabusa-2 probe could provide clues to the origins of the solar systemJapan's Hayabusa-2 probe will leave orbit around a distant asteroid and head for Earth on Wednesday after an unprecedented mission, carrying samples that could shed light on the origins of the solar system.
The mission took the fridge-sized probe some 300 million kilometers from Earth, where it explored the asteroid Ryugu, whose name means "Dragon Palace" in Japanese -- a reference to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient fable.
In April, Hayabusa-2 fired an "impactor" into the asteroid to stir up materials that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere.
It took the probe three-and-a-half years to get to the asteroid but the return journey should be significantly shorter because Earth and Ryugu will be much closer due to their current positions.
The probe is the successor to JAXA's first asteroid explorer Hayabusa, which means falcon in Japanese.