A Japanese spacecraft just blasted a new crater into an asteroid

A Japanese spacecraft just blasted a new crater into an asteroid

A Japanese spacecraft about 186 million miles from Earth dropped a can of explosives on an asteroid last night, excavating a crater on the rough surface.

Launched in 2014, Hayabusa2 traveled to a near-Earth asteroid named Ryugu, and it has been hanging out around the object since last year.

The spacecraft’s mission is straightforward: grab samples of material from Ryugu, and bring them back to Earth for further study.

But the spacecraft is using a few unique methods to reach its goal, and it has dropped some robots on the asteroid along the way.

The Verge

https://www.google.co.jp/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/4/5/18295964/japan-spacecraft-asteroid-ryugu-hayabusa2-sci-explosion-crater

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2019/04/20190405a_j.html

Asteroid Blasted By Explosives From Japanese Spacecraft : NPR

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/05/710285475/japan-very-carefully-drops-plastic-explosives-onto-an-asteroid?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft drops bomb on Ryugu asteroid – Business Insider

https://www.businessinsider.com/japans-hayabusa2-spacecraft-drops-bomb-on-ryugu-asteroid-2019-4?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=referral

Japan’s Hayabusa2 Shoots Copper Bomb at Asteroid Ryugu to Create Artificial Crater | Space

https://www.space.com/hayabusa2-made-crater-on-asteroid-ryugu.html

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190405-00000046-mai-sctch

Metal Successfully Hits Asteroid Ryugu in Hayabusa2 Mission – JIJI PRESS

https://jen.jiji.com/jc/i?g=eco&k=2019040501060