The Hayabusa 2 probe shows the effects of the bombardment of the asteroid Ryugu

Earlier this month, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe dropped explosive charges on the asteroid Ryugu to create an artificial crater and collect samples from beneath the surface of the space rock. Now the probe has sent photos showing the effect of the bombardment. As it turned out, the explosive charges knocked out a much larger crater than expected.

On April 4, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 dropped explosive charges on the surface of the asteroid. The maneuver was to create an artificial crater to then retrieve probki from under the surface of Ryugu. The material has not been exposed to cosmic and solar radiation, which could reveal a lot of valuable information about the history of the solar system and perhaps the earlyoin life on Earth.

After dropping the payloadoIn the explosives, the probe moved away to avoid contact with possible debris from the explosion. This week’s returnociated to the site and checked the effect of the bombardment. She sent the images taken to Earth.

Yuichi Tsuda, manager of the Hayabusa 2 project at Japan’s JAXA space agency, admitted in an interview with reporters that the crater had been successfully knocked out. This was confirmed by images taken by the probe from a distance of about 1,700 metersoin from the surface of the space rock. As it turned out, the missile caused more damage than expected.

JAXA scientists still before the payload dropoin explosives theorized that if the surface of the asteroid is sandy, the force of the explosion could produce a crater with a diameter of about 10 metersow. If it is rocky, the crater will be about 3-4 meters in sizeoin diameter.

Based on the imageoIn collected by the probe over the past twooch days scientists have determined that the crater is about 10 metersoin diameter. – Ryugu’s surface is strewn with boulders, but we still created such a large crater. This may mean that there is a mechanism thatore we don’t know yet, or there is something specificolnego in the material, with whichorego is built by the asteroid,” said Kobe University professor Masahiko Arakawa.

Ryugu is 900 metersoin width and is believed to be a particularolnie old type of asteroid, known as a C-class asteroid. Scientists believe the asteroid contains large amounts of organic matter and water from about 4.6 billion years ago, when the solar system was born.

Now before JAXA scientists maneuver to retrieve probek. They will be brought back to Earth, where they will go to specialized laboratoriesoin research. Hayabusa 2 podro¿ back to start in late 2019. Year poLater (around December 2020.) is expected to arrive from the probkami to Earth.

Chemical and isotopic analyses of the rock, performed in space by Hayabusa 2 and then in ground laboratories – can helpoc to explain the origin of the Earth, especially the water found on our planet. Many scientistsow believes that Earth’s oceans were formed by bombardment of its surface by water-rich asteroids or comets.

The study of asteroids is for scientistsow very important. Material from whichorego were formed 4.5 billion years ago has not actually undergone any changes. The same cannot be said for the building blocks of planets or the moonoin, where tectonic movements, erosion and other factors have caused it to constantly change.