After 3.3 billion mile Journey Hayabusa2 Returns Next Week with its Cargo from Ryugu

Hayabusa2 is expected to drop off its sample ,taken from the asteroid Ryugu on February 22, 2019 , next Sunday before continuing its journey to visit another asteroid which it will intercept in July 2031 , if successful the drop will yield scientists 100 milligrams of pristine 4.5 billion year old space rock which they believe will provide some insight into the early days of our Solar System.

The capsule is expected to descend between 3.30 AM and 4.30 AM ACDT (Australian Central Daylight Time) on 6 December 2020, creating a brilliant fireball produced by the heat of atmospheric entry. A special heat shield will protect the capsule from temperatures around 3,000 degrees Celsius (5,400 degrees Fahrenheit).

After deploying its parachute, it is expected to land within a 100 square kilometre- (40 square mile-) region within the Woomera Protected Area, sending out a radio signal to the retrieval team. Once the beacon lands, this signal won't be detectable from ground stations, so a helicopter will be flown overhead to track the capsule down.

Once it's located, the capsule will be taken by helicopter to a Quick Look Facility. There, any gases inside the container will be sampled, before the container is placed in a sealed transport box and airlifted back to Japan. That's when the next stage of the research process will truly begin, as scientists start the painstaking work of studying and analysing the rock.
www.sciencealert.com...

Fingers crossed for a successful reentry and recovery of the worlds most ambitious archaeology project to date.

Crossing my fingers for a successful re-entry.

a reply to: gortex

How do they know that the asteroid is 4.5 billion years old?

originally posted by: KansasGirl
a reply to: gortex

How do they know that the asteroid is 4.5 billion years old?

It's our best estimate for the age of the solar system.

a reply to: OneBigMonkeyToo

Hahaha... so all asteroids are 4.5 billion years old?

"The Andromeda Strain"

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: OneBigMonkeyToo

Hahaha... so all asteroids are 4.5 billion years old?

No , just the ones left over from the formation of our Solar System.

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: OneBigMonkeyToo

Hahaha... so all asteroids are 4.5 billion years old?

If you mean asteroids from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, yes.

What if the asteroid is 42 billion years old.

Now that would be something :/

Fingers crossed it has a freaky space virus that creates zombies.

Might as well end 2020 with a bang.

a reply to: gortex

And how do we know Ryugu is not from a another solar system?

originally posted by: chiefsmom
Fingers crossed it has a freaky space virus that creates zombies.

Might as well end 2020 with a bang.

I like the way you think.



Only 100mg? You'd think it would have been possible to get a much larger sample. In any case, it will be interesting to see what elements are in it.

a reply to: chiefsmom

Yeah I have a lot of faith nothing escapes these labs/ sarc. Just look at the so called Wuhan covid
Now they're saying it was in Spain prior to Wuhan.

originally posted by: visitedbythem
"The Andromeda Strain"

You laugh now.....

I was curious about previous such missions and successes/failures, as I had recalled a previous sample capture project that encountered a failed parachute open, and hadn't completely shielded the payload from heat of Earth reentry (I /think/ the Genesis mission was the one I was thinking about).

Here's a list of previous sample capture missions, including the first Hayabusa mission:

Sample Return Mission List

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: gortex

And how do we know Ryugu is not from a another solar system?

Because it is here, just like Mars, the other planets, and the other asteroids. It is no more likely to be "from another solar system" than Mars. Sure, there's a chance, but it hardly matters. As we obtain other samples from other asteroids, such as Bennu, which sample is already on the way back to Earth, we will gain more data and be more firm in our conclusions. Bear in mind that both these asteroids are less than a kilometer across. The chances that either is "from another solar system" are, well, astronomical. Go outside in your back yard and pick up the first rock you see. What are the chances that rock is actually from another solar system? Compared to the distance to another (theoretical) solar system, that rock in your hand and Ryugu are just about touching.

Maybe it will bring another novel virus to Earth, Ryugu-19. Would be so fitting to round out 2020.
I mean, what are the odds?

originally posted by: visitedbythem
"The Andromeda Strain"

AFTER 2020???

HERE!!!



No more 😲😠👽😠

originally posted by: Gothmog

originally posted by: visitedbythem
"The Andromeda Strain"

You laugh now.....

😆

a reply to: gortex

Fingers crossed for a successful reentry and recovery of the worlds most ambitious archaeology project to date.

Thanks for the mention, can't wait to see what they find.