This computer-generated image shows the Hayabusa2 spacecraft above the asteroid Ryugu. This weekend, the sample collected by the spacecraft arrived on Earth after a six-year mission. ISAS/JAXA via AP hide caption
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A Japanese space capsule ferrying sample material from an asteroid — the bounty from a six-year mission spanning billions of miles — made its triumphant return to Earth this weekend.
The small capsule that had detached from the Hayabusa2 space probe landed in the vicinity of the town of Woomera, in the Australian Outback, early Sunday Japan time. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, which spearheaded the mission, said a helicopter found the capsule in the planned landing area.
This may worth something:
Bad Astronomy | The asteroid 2020 VT4 passed 400 km from Earth on 13 Nov. 2020
Well, yikes: On Friday (13 November 2020), a small asteroid passed so close to Earth it was barely above our atmosphere: It came about 400 kilometers (240 miles) from Earth's surface!
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The good news is, it's so small that even if it had hit us it wouldn't have been bad, and almost certainly would've burned up in our atmosphere.
The orbit of the very near-Earth asteroid 2020 VT4, which passed 400 km from Earth's surface in November 2020. Note in this diagram Earth and the asteroid are so close they overlap. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Bad Astronomy | 2020 SO may not be an asteroid but a Centaur rocket from a Moon mission in 1966
Astronomers have discovered a small object in space that will pass by Earth on 1 December 2020 by the small margin of just 50,000 km. Not only that, but our planet's gravity will change its trajectory so much it will become a temporary moon of Earth!
Here's the real kicker: This object is almost certainly not an asteroid. Instead, astronomers think it's actually a spent rocket booster from a robotic Moon mission launched in 1966!
[ UPDATE (2 December 2020): After its close pass on 1 December, astronomers have confirmed that 2020 SO is indeed a Centaur upper stage rocket . Using NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, they observed both 2020 SO and a known Centaur rocket in Earth orbit for comparison. The two spectra matched well enough for them to conclude that 2020 SO is not a natural asteroid but instead the rocket that helped launch Surveyor 2 to the Moon (with unfortunate results; see the text below). Mystery
The Odds (and Potential Damage) of an Asteroid Hitting Earth - Nerdist
On his YouTube channel Veritasium . Muller just posted the video exploring different types of asteroid impacts. For those unfamiliar, Muller has created countless other educational videos like this one; including this one exploring the beauty of turbulence, and this one highlighting the pros of adopting autonomous cars.
In this new video, Muller talks with Dave Jewitt , UCLA Professor of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences. Jewitt, whose work largely explores primitive bodies of the solar system, outlines how devastating the impact of an asteroid would be, as well as the likelihood of one occurring.
While you're here, how about this:
Spacecraft that successfully 'bombed' an asteroid is close to home with valuable cargo
In newly released images from the MASCOT Lander, the surface of the asteroid Ryugu is 'even crazier' than expected. According to scientists, the asteroid is covered in rough blocks and strewn with boulders.
A Japanese spacecraft that successfully "bombed" an asteroid after a journey of more than 3 billion miles through space is close to returning to Earth.
Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft is slated to drop at least 100 milligrams of the near-Earth asteroid, Ryugu, in Woomera, Australia, on Dec. 6. After that, it will continue its journey to visit additional asteroid targets.
Japanese Space Capsule Ferries Bits of Asteroid to Earth - The New York Times
It should have come from northwest. OK, it is coming from the right side, and it's getting brighter and brighter. And the speed is very, very big. And it is coming through, near the zenith. OK, it has gone. No more lights in the sky. Re-entry was made, and it was confirmed by everybody. Well, six years.
Celestial Mystery: Interplanetary Object or a Human-made "Asteroid?" | SETI Institute
Interplanetary threat or human-made traveler? That's the mystery of 2020 SO1, a Near-Earth Asteroid (a population of asteroids with an orbit very close to Earth), discovered in August 2020 by the Hawaiian ground-based telescope Pan-STARRS1.
After spotting 2020 SO1, astronomers observed it continuously and estimated that this small 5m-asteroid would pass near Earth on December 1, 2020. Several citizen astronomers around the world, including members of the Unistellar network, collaborated to capture it. And one of them got it!
Apophis: Asteroid named for Egyptian chaos god may be on collision course with Earth | CTV News
Happening on Twitter
Japanese space officials said they are excited about the return of a capsule that landed safely in the Australian O… https://t.co/jEFwOlEk6q ABC (from New York City / Worldwide) Mon Dec 07 06:47:34 +0000 2020
A Japanese capsule carrying samples from an asteroid arrived on Earth after being dropped off by spacecraft Hayabus… https://t.co/AlpMiy6q40 Reuters (from Around the world) Mon Dec 07 04:00:00 +0000 2020
Six years after leaving Earth onboard the Hayabusa2 unmanned spacecraft, a Japanese capsule landed in Australia car… https://t.co/zmBCvIvtOA Reuters (from Around the world) Sun Dec 06 23:40:00 +0000 2020
A Japanese capsule carrying the first samples of asteroid subsurface shot across the night atmosphere before succes… https://t.co/blQYtiTtz5 AP (from Global) Sun Dec 06 12:01:05 +0000 2020
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