SPACE – On May 9, 2003, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the first asteroid sample return mission, Hayabusa. The mission was also the first to land on an asteroid.
Hayabusa spent about two years chasing a near-Earth asteroid called 25143 Itokawa. It then landed on the asteroid, took several samples and returned to Earth in 2010.
Hayabusa successfully completed his mission, even if he had to fight against obstruction and various technical difficulties. The problems began six months after launch, when a large solar flare damaged Hayabusa’s solar panels.
This reduced the amount of power the solar panels could provide to their ion engine, so it took an extra three months to reach the asteroid. After finally getting there, Hayabusa tried to drop a small robot lander called MINERVA, but the robot went into space without even touching the asteroid.
Read also: Today’s History: Hayabusa 2 launches to Asteroid Ryugu to take samples
Hayabusa then made two separate landing attempts that were fraught with difficulties. Of course, the spacecraft had to go into safe mode. But somehow, he still managed to bring some asteroid dust back to Earth. Only God, Hayabusa, and asteroids know the answer. Source: Space.com
2024-05-09 15:45:04
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