Phys.org November 29, 2020
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft left the asteroid Ryugu, about 180 million miles from Earth, a year ago and is expected to reach Earth and drop a the pan-shaped capsule with a diameter of 15 inches containing the precious samples in southern Australia onto a remote, sparsely populated area on Dec. 6. It will drop the capsule containing the samples from 136,700 miles away in space, a big challenge requiring precision control. The capsule, protected by a heat shield, will turn into a fireball during re-entry in the atmosphere at 125 miles above ground. At about 6 miles above ground, a parachute will open to prepare for landing, and beacon signals will be transmitted to indicate its location. JAXA, the Japanese space agency staff have set up satellite dishes at several locations in the target area to catch the signals, while also preparing marine radar, drones and helicopters to assist in the search and retrieval mission. After dropping the capsule, Hayabusa2 will return to space and head to another distant small asteroid called 1998KY26 on a journey slated to take 10 years…read more.
This computer graphics image released by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shows the Hayabusa2 spacecraft above the asteroid Ryugu. Credit: ISAS/JAXA via AP, File