Chapter 1: Hayabusa2's Journey and Achievements

The Hayabusa2 mission marks a significant milestone for researchers at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), as it delivers the first substantial samples ever obtained from an asteroid. This narrative recounts the remarkable journey of this historic mission.

On December 6, 2020 (JST), a capsule from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, carrying invaluable materials from the asteroid Ryugu, streaked through Earth's atmosphere, creating a dazzling fireball before landing securely in Australia. A specialized team was dispatched to retrieve the sample canister, transporting it to a designated facility for detailed analysis. This endeavor successfully brought the first large asteroid samples to Earth.

Join us on Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion on December 15, when we will converse with Professor Seiji Sugita from the University of Tokyo, a key researcher involved in the Hayabusa2 mission!

According to JAXA, “On December 6, 2020, we successfully recovered the capsule, heat shields, and parachute from the Hayabusa2 re-entry capsule in the Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA). The following day, the recovery team will extract gas from the capsule at our operational headquarters in Australia.” By December 8, the precious sample had arrived at the Extraterrestrial Sample Curation Center located at JAXA's Sagamihara Campus, nestled near Japan's Tanzawa mountains.

Researchers exercised caution while handling the gaseous sample, uncertain if it originated from Ryugu. “This morning (December 7), the recovery team confirmed that the re-entry capsule was properly sealed and completed the gas sampling work… While we analyzed the collected gas and evaluated the data, we have yet to establish whether it is from the Ryugu sample,” JAXA scientists reported.

The Hayabusa2 mission, overseen by JAXA, follows the original Hayabusa mission, which returned approximately 1,500 tiny grains from the asteroid Itokawa a decade earlier. Powered by ion engines, Hayabusa2 resembles a spacecraft from science fiction. However, unlike its fictional counterparts, these engines are not designed for rapid acceleration or high-speed evasion. Nevertheless, this technology may prove advantageous for future space exploration.

Equipped with a pair of innovative flat antennas, Hayabusa2 can communicate with Earth utilizing a lightweight instrument. JAXA explains, “Thanks to its flat design, the antenna weighs only one-fourth of what a comparable parabolic antenna would, making it more suitable for space exploration. Additionally, it is less prone to overheating than a parabolic antenna.”

Approximately 10 hours before the sample reached Earth, the capsule detached from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, situated 220,000 kilometers (136,700 miles) away. An hour post-separation, Hayabusa2 engaged its engine, liberating itself from Earth's gravitational influence.

Bringing it All Back Home

Carl Perkins once said, “If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.” The materials that constituted the formation of Earth are believed to resemble those found in asteroids today. Thus, by studying these celestial bodies, we can gain insights into the history of our own planet.

Earth is continually bombarded by a multitude of meteors of varying sizes. The inception of metallurgy likely began when ancient peoples gathered rare, hard nuggets that occasionally appeared on the ground. Some of these could be heated and forged into tools and weapons. However, meteorites undergo extreme temperatures during their atmospheric entry, leading to chemical alterations, weathering, and oxidation that may obscure ancient materials that were once part of their stony structure.

To unravel the origins and evolution of our solar system, it is essential to study different types of asteroids, specifically S-, C-, and D-type asteroids. C-type asteroids, like Ryugu, are more primordial than S-type ones, such as Itokawa, and are thought to contain a higher concentration of organic or hydrated minerals, despite both types sharing lithological characteristics.

Researchers analyzing the Hayabusa2 sample are systematically emptying and cleaning the canister, ensuring that not a single particle of this invaluable material is lost. In September 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will deliver material from the asteroid Bennu to Earth, which possesses a chemical composition distinct from Ryugu. This will allow scientists to explore a broader spectrum of geological processes on these rocky bodies.

This exceptional specimen from Hayabusa2 will undergo a slow and meticulous examination, seeking to uncover the mysteries of our solar system's origins, including the development of our own Earth.

James Maynard, the founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion, is a New England native who now resides in Tucson with his wife, Nicole, and their cat, Max.

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