Japan's Asteroid Mission Retrieves Debris
Successful Japanese Mission in Space Source: JAXA Japanese Spacecraft Retrieves Asteroid Dust The Japanese space agency JAXA has announced that its spacecraft Hayabusa2 has successfully retrieved asteroid dust from the asteroid Ryugu in space. The scientific hope is that the asteroid dust will contain clues to the origin of the Earth and the solar system. Japanese scientists also hope to learn "how water was brought to Earth". The asteroid dust dates back 4.6 billion years. Arduous Mission The asteroid mission was a long and arduous one. It underscores the innovative leadership role that Asian nations are taking in space. Last week, a Chinese robotic spacecraft collected samples of the Moon's surface. That is the first time since 1972 that lunar soil has been retrieved from space. Now, the Japanese have captured asteroid dust in space. The Japanese probe landed twice on the asteroid Ryugu, used explosives to crea