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----------------------------- 2226 - Asteroid Ryugu
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- On September 21, 2018, the rovers from the Japanese spacecraft named Hayabusa were released on to the surface of the asteroid Ryugu. Hayabusa 2 reached Ryugu in June after a 3 year journey.
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- Hayabusa 2 descended to about 200 feet above the surface in order to release the rovers from the spacecraft.
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- The rovers are already working on the surface of the space rock. The 1 kilogram autonomous rovers move about by hopping, using the asteroid's low gravity. Each one contains a motor-powered internal mass that rotates to generate force, propelling the robot across the surface.
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-The rovers are equipped with wide-angle and stereo cameras to send back pictures. Spine-like projections from the edges of the hoppers are sensors that will measure surface temperatures on the asteroid.
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- The 900 meter-wide space rock known formally as 162173 Ryugu belongs to a particularly primitive type of asteroid. It is thought to be a relic left over from the early days of our Solar System, so studying it could shed light on the origin and evolution of our own planet.
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- For 18 months, the probe will poke, prod and impact the asteroid, deploying a small lander and three rovers. It will then blast an artificial crater to analyze material below the asteroid's surface. After that, the probe will head back to Earth, arriving near the end of 2020 with samples that it had picked up.
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- Measurements are being made by the Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) which will create an artificial crater on the surface of the asteroid. Hayabusa2 will look at the changes on the surface before and after the impact takes place. They will also sample the crater to get "fresh" materials from underground
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- Near InfraRed Spectrometer (NIRS3) and Thermal Infrared Imager (TIR) will look at mineral composition of the asteroid, and the properties of water there. The imager will study the temperature and thermal inertia , which is resistance to changing temperature. They hope to learn more about ho the asteroid formed, the strength of its magnetic field, and its surface temperatures.
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- Three small rovers will bounce along the surface and collect more data. The box shaped rovers are a foot wide and weigh just 22 pounds.
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-A small lander will jump only once after it arrives on the surface. It will also perform close-up observations of the surface.
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- On September 21, 2018, Hayubasa2 ejected the first two rovers. These rovers were deployed when the satellite was about 180 feet above the surface of the asteroid. Each of the disk-shaped robots measure 7 inches wide by 2.8 inches tall, with a mass of about 2.4 lbs. Instead of rolling along like Martian rovers, the pair hopped from place to place on Ryugu.
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- Gravity on the surface of Ryugu is very weak, so a rover propelled by normal wheels or crawlers would float upwards as soon as it started to move. Therefore, this hopping mechanism is a motorized swinging arm that is moving the rover across the surface of this small celestial bodies. The rover is expected to remain in the air for up to 15 minutes after a single hop before landing, and to move up to 50 feet horizontally.
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- Japan chose a different type of asteroid to study. The goal is to collect information about a wide variety of asteroids across the solar system. Ryugu is a C-type asteroid, meaning that it is carbonaceous; with a high percentage of carbon, this is the most common type of asteroid in the solar system. An S-type asteroid is made up more of stony materials and nickel iron.
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- Ryugu is an older type of body that likely contains more organic or hydrated minerals. Organics and water are key elements for life on Earth, although their presence on other bodies doesn't necessarily mean life itself.
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- Scientist expect to clarify the origin of life by analyzing samples acquired from a primordial celestial body such as a C-type asteroid to study organic matter and water in the solar system, and how they co-exist while affecting each other.
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- Hayabusa2 will be heading home in 2020 after launching projectiles into the surface and collecting debris to return samples back to Earth. We still have more to learn.
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- January 4, 2019
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-------------------------- Saturday, January 5, 2019 --------------------------
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