The Japanese spacecraft Yabusa arrived at a distance of only 20 kilometers from the asteroid it is traveling to * The image shows hilly areas and flat areas on the asteroid
The Japanese Yabusa spacecraft has reached a distance of only 20 kilometers from the asteroid it has been traveling to for over two years.
The spacecraft will collect samples from the surface of the asteroid Itoqua and return them to Earth for testing.
The scientists of the mission hope that the findings will shed light on the question of how these mysterious bodies in the solar system were formed and developed.
The Yabusa used an efficient ion engine to reach its goal. The spacecraft will now hover around the asteroid, collecting data on it from a distance until it is decided that it is safe to land. You can read about the detailed process in the article attached below.
The plan is to land the spacecraft on the asteroid, collect the samples from the surface and return them to Earth. The spacecraft will stay in the vicinity of the asteroid for about two months, and after taking the sample it will return to Earth. The Yabusa is scheduled to fall to Earth in the summer of 2007.
A new image taken by the spacecraft recently showed contrasts between 12 hilly areas and smooth terrain on the asteroid. Scientists at Japan's Institute of Space Sciences and Astronautics (Isas), which is monitoring the mission, said studying the asteroid's surface trajectory could lead to a better understanding of how the asteroid formed.
So far, examples have only been brought from the moon. An attempt to bring interstellar dust to Earth (Stardust) failed when the spacecraft crashed on its return to Earth.
The asteroid is named after the late Dr. Heido Itokawa, who is considered one of the fathers of the Japanese space program.
