In pics: After a six year-long journey, capsule carrying asteroid samples arrives in Japan
In this handout image from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), a member of JAXA collects Hayabusa2's capsule carrying the first extensive samples of an asteroid after it landed in the Woomera restricted area, Australia, December 6, 2020
After a long wait of six years, samples of an asteroid from a far off territory in space arrived in Japan on Tuesday. Greeted with smiles and claps, the sample was fetched from an asteroid 300 million kilometres away from Earth, and was sought as part of a space probe attempting to understand the source of life.
In December 2014, Hayabusa2 left for the asteroid called Ryugu. Soon after reaching the destination, it suffered a rough landing but was able to overcome it to collect the samples of asteroid dust in a capsule.
On Sunday, the capsule was shot back to Earth, and landed in Australia. On Sunday, it was flown back to Japan, where it will be stored and studied.
Excited researchers could be seen welcoming the samples as it reached the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s research centre outside Tokyo.
The project manager - Yuichi Tsuda was elated at the news - “The capsule has returned”, he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
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He further claimed that it felt as if something had “squeezed” his heart. "The realization that it had gone all the way to the asteroid and back came welling up, and I felt as if something had squeezed my heart”, he said.
Scientists believe that asteroids were formed in the beginning of the creation of solar system as we know. What are they hoping to find? Organic matters which forms the basis of all life on Earth.
Before landing on an asteroid, the Hayabasa2 orbited above Ryugu for a new months. Eventually, it used small explosives to blast off a crater, from which the debris was collected for research.
According to estimates, 100 milligrams has been captured from the asteroid. The capsule is set to be opened by next week - to ascertain whether enough material has been collected.