ryugu
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Asteroid Samples Brought to Earth Contain Key Molecules for Life
Japan’s education ministry says that more than 20 types of amino acids were detected in samples of an asteroid that were brought to Earth in December 2020, The Japan Times reports. The detection is the first evidence that amino acids exist on asteroids in space and has implications for understanding how such vital organic molecules…
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Japan’s Hayabusa2 Probe Has Sent Bits of the Ryugu Asteroid Back to Earth
After six years of travelling and exploring, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa2 probe on Saturday sent a capsule back to Earth filled with what scientists hope is at least a 100 milligram-sample of the asteroid Ryugu, which is located about 300 million kilometres from Earth. Hayabusa2 has made history by bringing back the world’s…
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Hayabusa2 Spacecraft Releases Its Final Probe For Exploring Asteroid Ryugu
The tiny Minerva-II2 probe is now en route to the surface of the asteroid Ryugu, having been deployed by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft on Thursday. It’s the final phase of this wildly successful mission and the last item on the to-do list before the spacecraft makes its journey back to Earth.
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With Time Running Out, Hayabusa2 Spacecraft Fails To Drop Target Marker On Asteroid
Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe aborted an attempt to drop a highly reflective target marker on the surface of Ryugu in preparation for its second sample extraction mission. But with surface temperatures rising steadily on the asteroid, the probe is running out of time.