Now You Can Watch Japan's Hayabusa2 Shoot a Bomb at an Asteroid

[Judi Lynn]

By Meghan Bartels 6 hours ago

On April 4, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft tossed a bomb at a space rock, then ducked for cover to wait for the debris to settle — but before it did, it watched the impactor soar toward the asteroid, called Ryugu.

The spacecraft, which is operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has been studying the asteroid for nearly a year, since June 2018. As part of its mission, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft has interacted with Ryugu in a series of mildly aggressive ways — all designed to help scientists better understand the space rock and what it could tell us about the early days of the solar system.

First, Hayabusa2 released a series of small, hopping rovers onto the surface. Then, it lowered itself down to the surface of Ryugu to suck up a sample of its rock. Then came perhaps the most violent experiment of the lot: using an explosive device to create an artificial crater on the asteroid's surface.

That's precisely what happened on April 4, and now JAXA has released video footage of the impactor on its way toward the space rock. The video was taken from the main spacecraft, so it cuts out long before the explosion — to protect itself from flying debris, Hayabusa2 ducked behind Ryugu and stayed there for about two weeks.

More:
https://www.space.com/japan-hayabusa2-asteroid-bomb-video.html?utm_source=notification

[SCantiGOP]

1. A radio signal was picked up the next day

It came from the asteroid and began: “April 4, 2019. A day that will live in infamy.”