Hayabusa Spaceprobe Collects Asteroid Samples |
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Written by spacetravel.org
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Saturday, 26 November 2005 22:48 |
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According to the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) the Hayabusa spaceprobe has obtained samples from the asteroid Itokawa.
At 22:07 GMT on Friday 25 November, the six-metre probe touched down. Its computer sysem then shot a metal ball into the asteroid to drive up material for collection. The craft, which was launched in 2003, will return to Earth in 2007, and the Hayabusa team will then ascertain whether it picked up surface material from the asteroid. If it has, it will be the first time samples have been taken from an asteroid.
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