Science

Stunning photo shows the moment a Japanese probe swoops 30 FEET above an asteroid


Stunning moment Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe swoops just 30 FEET above asteroid’s surface as it drops marker on the space rock 

  • The asteroid exploring spacecraft was studying Ryugu, a near-Earth asteroid
  • It will return to Earth carrying rock samples for analysis in December 2020
  • The probe had previously landed two rovers on the asteroid — a world’s first

An amazing photo shows the moment Japan‘s Hayabusa2 spacecraft swooped down to 30 feet above the surface of an asteroid — so close you can see its shadow.

The snap was taken in the middle of a manoeuvre to drop a target marker on the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu.

The image is the latest stunner to come back from the Hayabusa2 mission, which previously landed two rovers on the asteroid in a world’s first.

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An amazing photo shows the moment Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft swooped down to 30 feet above the surface of an asteroid — so close you can see its shadow

An amazing photo shows the moment Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft swooped down to 30 feet above the surface of an asteroid — so close you can see its shadow

The Japanese asteroid explorer spacecraft, Hayabusa2, was in the process of dropping a target marker on Ryugu when the photo was taken on May 30, 2019.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported that Hayabusa2 was 30 feet (9 metres) above the rocky asteroid’s surface at the time.

‘The shadow of the spacecraft is clearly visible,’ a JAXA spokesperson wrote of the photograph on Twitter.

‘And the small black point shown below the shadow of the spacecraft body is the shadow of the target marker,’ they added.

The image of the asteroid’s surface was snapped by the probe’s small monitor camera, CAM-H.

‘CAM-H was built with donations from all of you & is a big success! Thank you!’, said a JAXA spokesperson.

162173 Ryugu is a 0.6 mile (1 kilometre) wide near-Earth asteroid whose orbit around the sun crosses with that of the Earth’s. 

The image is the latest stunner to come back from the Hayabusa2 mission, which previously landed two rovers on the asteroid in a world's first. Pictured, Ryugu's surface as captured by Rover-1B as it hopped around the asteroid on September 23, 2018

The image is the latest stunner to come back from the Hayabusa2 mission, which previously landed two rovers on the asteroid in a world’s first. Pictured, Ryugu’s surface as captured by Rover-1B as it hopped around the asteroid on September 23, 2018

The snap was taken in the middle of a manoeuvre to drop a target marker on the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu (pictured)

The snap was taken in the middle of a manoeuvre to drop a target marker on the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu (pictured)

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft was also responsible for landing two rovers onto the Ryugu asteroid in September 2018.

The two MINERVA-II1 robots — dubbed Rover-1A and Rover-1B — are the first such vehicles to land on the surface of an asteroid in human history.

Hayabusa2 was launched on December 3, 2014, and reached Ryugu on June 27, 2018.

The spacecraft was designed to explore the asteroid for 18 months, collecting samples of rock and bring them back to the Earth with an anticipated return in the December of 2020.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft was also responsible for landing two rovers onto the Ryugu asteroid in September 2018. The two MINERVA-II1 robots — dubbed Rover-1A and Rover-1B, pictured in an artist's impression — are the first such vehicles to land on the surface of an asteroid

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft was also responsible for landing two rovers onto the Ryugu asteroid in September 2018. The two MINERVA-II1 robots — dubbed Rover-1A and Rover-1B, pictured in an artist’s impression — are the first such vehicles to land on the surface of an asteroid

162173 Ryugu is a 0.6 mile (1 kilometre) wide near-Earth asteroid whose orbit around the sun crosses with that of the Earth's

162173 Ryugu is a 0.6 mile (1 kilometre) wide near-Earth asteroid whose orbit around the sun crosses with that of the Earth’s

WHY IS JAXA STUDYING THE ASTEROID RYUGU?

Jaxa’s Hayabusa Two probe is on a mission to study the ancient asteroid Ryugu in a bid to help scientists better understand the origins of the universe.

The probe launched in December 2014 and arrived at the dice-shaped space rock on June 27, 2018.

Hayabusa Two is studying soil and rock samples using several pieces of equipment.

Hayabusa Two (artist's impression)  carries a number of experiments including four surface rovers and an explosive device designed to gouge out 'fresh' rock samples

Hayabusa Two (artist’s impression) carries a number of experiments including four surface rovers and an explosive device designed to gouge out ‘fresh’ rock samples

The probe is loaded with four surface landers, an array of cameras and even an explosive device that will dig out subsurface rock samples.

Ryugu, a Type C asteroid, contains traces of water and organic material and it is hoped that analysing this material will reveal what the early conditions were like at the time the solar system formed around 4,6 billion years ago.

Hayabusa Two is expected to return to Earth in late 2020 carrying samples for further analysis.





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