Japanese probe Hayabusa-2 is collecting asteroid samples

[Gulo Blue]

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05544-9


Pretty cool mission and display of technology. Launched in 2014. Now it's slowly approaching asteroid Ryuguand is within 25 miles. They sent this thing, not knowing if the asteroid would be spinning too fast to put sample collecting landers on it; turns out, it is spinning slowly enough. It's going to survey the asteroid for a year and a half. It has 4 probes it will deposit on the surface which I've seen described as "rovers", but I'm not clear on how they move. And it has this weird explosive pogo stick that will touch the surface of the asteroid, fire a projectile into the surface, and collect debris that's kicked up to return to Earth.

 

[Gulo Blue]

Micro-rovers will deploy soon


https://www.space.com/41892-hayabusa2-asteroid-rover-landing-real-time-photos.html

 

[Spartanmack]

I read the headline "Japanese Probe..." and I though, "hey, this could be interesting." What a let down.

 

[biggunsbob]

Cool photo .. great stuff. Very exciting .

 

[biggunsbob]

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...ping-rovers-are-about-to-land-on-an-asteroid/

 

[Gulo Blue]

Rovers have launched. Not sure if they've landed successfully.

 

[Gulo Blue]

The gravity is super weak. Too weak to drive around on the surface. These rovers will hop. Each hop will take 15 minutes.

 

[Gulo Blue]

The rovers made it
https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa/status/1043486871504867329/photo/1

 

[Gulo Blue]

Some cool outreach ideas, cartoons

http://www.hayabusa2.jaxa.jp/topics/kochihaya_comic_e/img/comic01_e.jpg

and live data streams

http://haya2now.jp/en.html

 

[biggunsbob]

Thanks .. so freaking cool. I didn’t know about the gravity . Then all I am really doing is looking at the photos . I need to read a few article on it lol.. Not sure what to think about the comic . I guess it is a good idea . Gotta run . Wife wants to get outdoors before winter descends again on the Midwest . It’s sunny and fantastic in GR Today.

 

[Gulo Blue]

Touchdown
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47293317
Here's a video of a metal slug being fired into the asteroid to kick up dust.
https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa/status/1097417737243107328/video/1

 

[biggunsbob]

Very cool!