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Hayabusa2

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Hayabusa2’s daring 800-meter flyby reveals Torifune as a contact-binary asteroid
science1 month ago

Hayabusa2’s daring 800-meter flyby reveals Torifune as a contact-binary asteroid

Japan’s JAXA Hayabusa2 mission carried out an exceptionally close flyby of near-Earth asteroid Torifune, reaching about 800 meters from the asteroid’s center at a speed of roughly 5.3 km/s after months of debate over safety. The flyby produced high-resolution imagery showing Torifune is a contact-binary asteroid larger than anticipated, with all four science instruments returning data and the most urgent data downlinked, while the full 300 MB dataset will arrive later. The mission demonstrates rapid asteroid characterization capabilities and could inform future planetary-defense efforts, including potential impactor-style investigations.

via Yahoo|
#close-flyby#hayabusa2#jaxa
Hayabusa2's 800-meter close shave reveals Torifune as a binary asteroid
space1 month ago

Hayabusa2's 800-meter close shave reveals Torifune as a binary asteroid

Hayabusa2 pushed its aging craft to a record-close 800-meter flyby of the near‑Earth asteroid Torifune, a binary rock, after a heated debate over risk; the mission returned close images and science data from all four instruments, including nine seconds of Thermal Infrared Imaging and a possible first LIDAR ranging during an asteroid flyby, with about 25 MB of data downlinked initially and some 300 MB total expected. The operation demonstrated fast reconnaissance capabilities for planetary defense and paves the way for the spacecraft's 2031 rendezvous with KY26.

via Space|
#asteroid#flyby#hayabusa2
Hayabusa2 photographs Torifune on a distant, high‑speed flyby
space1 month ago

Hayabusa2 photographs Torifune on a distant, high‑speed flyby

Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft conducted a high‑speed flyby of asteroid Torifune about 62 million miles from Earth, capturing optical imagery with its ONC‑T camera and thermal data with the Mid‑Infrared Camera to analyze surface temperatures and roughness. The encounter, not part of the original mission and described as risky, adds to Hayabusa2’s long-running exploration after returning Ryugu’s samples in 2020 and sets the stage for its future target 1998 KY26 in 2031 while showcasing the probe’s ongoing study of small solar‑system bodies.

via Space|
#asteroid-flyby#hayabusa2#jaxa
Two asteroid rendezvous highlight a weekend of space feats by Japan and China
space1 month ago

Two asteroid rendezvous highlight a weekend of space feats by Japan and China

Two asteroid milestones dominated the weekend as Japan's Hayabusa2 performed a close flyby of the peanut-shaped asteroid Torifune during its extended mission, and China's Tianwen-2 arrived within about 20 km of the tiny near-Earth asteroid Kamo'oalewa to begin detailed study with a planned sample return in late 2027, while the mission also contemplates future targets such as 311P/PanSTARRS and a possible 2031 encounter with 1998 KY26 if all goes nominal.

via Ars Technica|
#asteroids#hayabusa2#kamooalewa
Hayabusa2 to skim Torifune from a room-temperature: ultra-close asteroid flyby on tap
space-exploration1 month ago

Hayabusa2 to skim Torifune from a room-temperature: ultra-close asteroid flyby on tap

Japan’s Hayabusa2, on an extended mission after Ryugu, will perform one of the closest asteroid flybys by a mission of its class, approaching Torifune to within about 1 kilometer at ~5.3 km/s on July 5 to study its shape and properties and test rapid reconnaissance for planetary defense—with a long-term aim to visit the tiny asteroid 1998 KY26 in 2031, potentially landing there.

via Space|
#1998-ky26#asteroid#hayabusa2
Loeb Suggests Hayabusa2’s Target Might Be a Soviet Relic, Not an Asteroid
science2 months ago

Loeb Suggests Hayabusa2’s Target Might Be a Soviet Relic, Not an Asteroid

Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb and colleagues speculate that 1998 KY26—the rapidly spinning object Hayabusa2 is set to study in 2031—could be a long‑lost Soviet spacecraft (Phobos 1) rather than a natural asteroid. The idea, based on suggested orbital similarities and size, is highly speculative and not yet peer‑reviewed; it aims to broaden the observational data considered when judging solar‑system objects, with Hayabusa2’s observations expected to help resolve the object's true origin.

via Yahoo News New Zealand|
#1998-ky26#avi-loeb#hayabusa2
Hayabusa2's Next Target Might Be a Soviet Space Relic, Not a Natural Asteroid
space2 months ago

Hayabusa2's Next Target Might Be a Soviet Space Relic, Not a Natural Asteroid

Hayabusa2 is heading toward the tiny, fast-spinning asteroid 1998 KY26, but a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper by Avi Loeb and collaborators speculates the object could be a long-lost Soviet spacecraft from the Phobos 1 mission rather than a natural body. The theory draws parallels in size and shape and notes potentially converging orbits, though the idea remains highly speculative and distant; if true, it could fuel debates about the nature of ‘Oumuamua and prompt scientists to consider man-made objects in searches for unusual space rocks. Awaiting Hayabusa2’s 2031 observations to resolve the mystery.”,

via Futurism|
#1998-ky26#hayabusa2#oumuamua
Millennium-Old Micrometeorite Swarm Scratched Ryugu's Surface
space4 months ago

Millennium-Old Micrometeorite Swarm Scratched Ryugu's Surface

New analysis of Hayabusa2 samples shows Ryugu bears a nanometer-thick sodium layer on its surface, evidence of recent micrometeorite bombardment as the asteroid moved through a dense meteoroid swarm about 1,000 years ago; researchers also found glassy impact features and solar-wind–related iron changes, with findings published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

via Space|
#hayabusa2#micrometeorites#ryugu
Ryugu Reveals the Full Alphabet for DNA and RNA
science4 months ago

Ryugu Reveals the Full Alphabet for DNA and RNA

Researchers analyzing asteroid Ryugu samples discovered all five canonical nucleobases—adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine, and uracil—in roughly equal amounts, the first time these DNA/RNA letters have been found together in a single extraterrestrial material, reinforcing the idea that prebiotic molecules were common in the early solar system and could have been delivered to Earth by meteorites.

via Eos - Science News by AGU|
#astrobiology#hayabusa2#nucleobases
DNA’s five letters detected on asteroid Ryugu, hinting at universal prebiotic chemistry
science5 months ago

DNA’s five letters detected on asteroid Ryugu, hinting at universal prebiotic chemistry

Analysis of asteroid Ryugu samples from JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission revealed a complete set of canonical nucleobases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil), suggesting carbonaceous asteroids can carry DNA/RNA building blocks and may contribute to prebiotic chemistry across the solar system; findings align with previous Bennu results and meteorites, though they do not indicate life on Ryugu.

via Yahoo|
#carbonaceous-asteroids#hayabusa2#nucleobases
Ryugu asteroid yields DNA and RNA building blocks, study finds
astronomy5 months ago

Ryugu asteroid yields DNA and RNA building blocks, study finds

Two samples from asteroid Ryugu returned by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 contain the five nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil—the building blocks of DNA and RNA. The find suggests these compounds can form in space without life and may have been distributed across the early solar system, with Ryugu showing different base concentrations than Bennu and meteorites, hinting at diverse formation histories and a wide cosmic availability of life's chemical ingredients.

via Space|
#astronomy#dna#hayabusa2
Ryugu Samples Show All Five Nucleobases, Hinting Life’s Ingredients Arrived from Space
space-and-spaceflight5 months ago

Ryugu Samples Show All Five Nucleobases, Hinting Life’s Ingredients Arrived from Space

A Nature Astronomy study analyzing Hayabusa2’s Ryugu samples found all five nucleobases—the DNA/RNA building blocks—supporting the idea that asteroids delivered the ingredients for life to early Earth. The researchers note Ryugu has roughly equal amounts of purine and pyrimidine bases, unlike some meteorites, and that ammonia concentration may influence nucleobase formation, suggesting such molecules could have been more widespread in the early solar system.

via Gizmodo|
#astrobiology#hayabusa2#nucleobases
Japan's Hayabusa2 Targets Tiny, Fast-Spinning Asteroid for Sample Return
science11 months ago

Japan's Hayabusa2 Targets Tiny, Fast-Spinning Asteroid for Sample Return

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft is targeting asteroid 1998 KY26, now found to be only 11 meters wide and spinning every five minutes, marking the first exploration of such a small asteroid. This mission highlights advancements in space technology, challenges of studying tiny, fast-rotating objects, and has implications for asteroid mining and planetary defense.

via Rude Baguette|
#asteroid-ky26#hayabusa2#planetary-defense