Japan opens Ryugu asteroid probe, removes black sand-like material

Today the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) opened a space capsule containing material from the asteroid Ryugu. This was the Hayabusa2 re-entry capsule, retrieved all the way back on December 6, 2020, at landfall in Woomera, Australia. This opening and retrieval is a little odd, as JAXA describes he material as “thought to be the particles attached to the entrance … Continue reading