Dust found in Hayabusa capsule
Posted: Thu, Jul 8, 2010, 6:23 AM ET (1023 GMT)
Japanese scientists have found traces of dust in a sample return capsule from the Hayabusa spacecraft that may be from an asteroid visited by the spacecraft. Officials with the Japanese space agency JAXA said they have detected "minute particles" in the capsule, which returned to Earth last month, the only surviving portion of the spacecraft that visited the asteroid Itokawa. Scientists cautioned, though, that the dust may not be from the asteroid but instead could be from deep space. Weeks of detailed analysis will be needed before scientists can identify the dust's origins. Among the problems experienced by Hayabusa during its mission was a problem with its sample collection system, raising doubts even before the spacecraft returned to Earth that it had successfully collected any samples of the asteroid.
Japanese scientists have found traces of dust in a sample return capsule from the Hayabusa spacecraft that may be from an asteroid visited by the spacecraft. Officials with the Japanese space agency JAXA said they have detected "minute particles" in the capsule, which returned to Earth last month, the only surviving portion of the spacecraft that visited the asteroid Itokawa. Scientists cautioned, though, that the dust may not be from the asteroid but instead could be from deep space. Weeks of detailed analysis will be needed before scientists can identify the dust's origins. Among the problems experienced by Hayabusa during its mission was a problem with its sample collection system, raising doubts even before the spacecraft returned to Earth that it had successfully collected any samples of the asteroid.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, July 31
Europe wants to be a strong partner of the US in the Moon race, ESA astronaut says
EuroNews — 7:25 am ET (1125 GMT) HydroGNSS data open for new insights into Earth’s water
ESA — 7:24 am ET (1124 GMT) Photo Gallery: SpaceX Turns A Corner With Starship Flight 13
Aviation Week — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Scheduled Friday Evening from Vandenberg
Santa Barbara (CA) Edhat — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) The Nimble U.S. Space Force Presses Its Advantage
Wall Street Journal — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) |
