A Japanese space capsule that landed in the interior of South Australia 18 months ago is now helping scientists understand more about the creation of the solar system.
Key points:
- A sample taken from the asteroid Ryugu shows that it formed about 4.6 billion years ago
- Scientists say it coincides with the creation of the solar system
- Months of analysis show that the asteroid is similar to the outer layer of the sun
In December 2020, Hayabusa2 flew across the desert sky directly over Coober Pedy, in the far north of the state, when it entered Earth’s atmosphere and plummeted to its landing site. .
It was carrying a precious cargo: a container with samples of dust and pebbles from the ancient asteroid Ryugu.
A few seconds later, it landed in the Forbidden Area of Woomera as NASA scientists flew overhead in a specialized jet, tracking the location of the capsule.
Until then, Hayabusa2 had been traveling through space for six years, covering more than 5.2 billion kilometers to Ryugu and back.
The sample taken from two Ryugu locations was a mixture of dark colored dust and pebbles. (Provided by Yada et al, Nature Astronomy)
He had one last leg of his journey to make, a private jet back to the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) where scientists carefully opened the capsule.
Now, 18 months later, the experts behind this mission can reveal what they have discovered.
‘Pristine’ asteroid
University of Queensland planetary scientist Trevor Ireland has been working on the Hayabusa mission since 2004 and says the Ryugu meteorite is ancient.
“Really, Ryugu’s samples may actually be the purest example of this very rare type of asteroid,” said Professor Ireland.
University of Queensland planetary scientist Trevor Ireland in Woomera in 2020 during the Hayabusa-2 landing. (Provided by: Trevor Ireland)
“[They] it will allow us to look back on the chemistry of the solar system in the early days. “
Months of analysis of asteroid samples have found that Ryugu is similar to the outer layer of the sun.
Research suggests that it formed at the same time as the solar system: about 4.6 billion years ago.
“When we look back, we find that this real rock of Ryugu and [its] CI chondrites formed about three million years after the first inclusions we can see a meteorite, “he said.
“So this is really going back to the early days of the solar system.
“Having a sample of that first moment is really amazing.”
The surface of the asteroid Ryugu at an altitude of about 64 meters. (Supplied by: JAXA)
This sample shows that Ryugu is very similar to the meteorite Ivuna, which fell to Earth in Tanzania in 1938.
Flinders University space archaeologist Alice Gorman said the findings give scientists an insight into the early stages of the solar system.
“What this new research has shown is that Ryugu retains all the evidence for this first phase of the evolution of the solar system,” said Associate Professor Gorman.
“The more we know about how they were, the more we will understand how life on Earth ended up forming and what our broadest type of place in the cosmos is.
“I think it’s very important to know when we’re facing climate change and we need that bigger context.”
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Posted 5 hours ago 5 hours ago Thu, June 9, 2022 at 8:41 pm, updated 43 minutes ago, 43 minutes ago, Friday, June 10, 2022 at 12:59 AM