Thanks to spectacular high-resolution images from Hayabusa2, scientists can now better estimate how and when the asteroid Ryugu formed, how its orbit has changed over time, and what its surface looks like.
Ryugu
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Ryugu: A Not So Magnetic Asteroid
When the lander MASCOT, carried by Hayabusa2, touched down on asteroid Ryugu, it did not detect a magnetic field, even though meteorites that are spectroscopically similar to Ryugu have trace of one.
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Nearby Asteroid Is Mysteriously Devoid of Dust, Lander Reveals
Close-up images of Ryugu, a near-Earth asteroid and the target of the Hayabusa2 sample return mission, reveal a rocky, dustless world that may have formed from a giant collision.
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A Target Before Shooting Ryugu
The asteroid’s rough surface surprised Hayabusa2’s mission scientists. So they pulled out their spare gun and shot an “asteroid” at home first.
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Asteroid Mission Attempts Touchdown, Sample Grab
Hayabusa2 will fire a metal bullet into the asteroid surface to eject material that will then be collected. The mission will return the samples to Earth in late 2020.