Hayabusa2 Archives

This color view of Ryugu's surface at night was created from images captured by MASCOT using red, green, and blue LEDs for illumination. MASCOT/DLR/JAXA via Planetary Society

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Sample Return, Status Report

Variations Of Organic Functional Chemistry In Carbonaceous Matter From The Asteroid 162173 Ryugu

by Keith CowingSeptember 22, 2024September 22, 2024

Primordial carbon delivered to the early earth by asteroids and meteorites provided a diverse source of extraterrestrial organics from pre-existing simple organic compounds, complex solar-irradiated macromolecules, and macromolecules from extended […]

A microscope image of a dark Bennu particle, about a millimeter long, with a crust of bright phosphate. To the right is a smaller fragment that broke off. Credits: From Lauretta & Connolly et al. (2024) Meteoritics & Planetary Science, doi:10.1111/maps.14227.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Sample Return

An OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Has Surprising Phosphate Content

by Keith CowingJune 27, 2024June 27, 2024

Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) […]

Magnetite (round particles) particles cut from a Ryugu sample. (A) Bright field transmission electron microscopy image. (B) Magnetic flux distribution image obtained by electron holography. The concentric circular stripes seen inside the particles correspond to magnetic lines of force. They are called vortex magnetic domain structures and are more stable than ordinary hard disks, which can record magnetic fields for more than 4.6 billion years. (Yuki Kimura, et al. Nature Communications. April 29, 2024) CREDIT Yuki Kimura, et al. Nature Communications. April 29, 2024

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics

Probing The Effects Of Interplanetary Space On Asteroid Ryugu

by Keith CowingApril 29, 2024April 29, 2024

Samples reveal evidence of changes experienced by the surface of asteroid Ryugu, some probably due to micrometeoroid bombardment.

Using a nanomanipulator and an ultra-fine ion beam, a tiny lamella, about five by ten micrometres in size and only one hundred nanometres thin, is cut out of the meteorite and attached to a sample bar. The scientists can then analyze the organic particles in this lamella under an electron microscope (right). CREDIT SuperSTEM Laboratory, Daresbury, UK

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

Cosmic Building Blocks Of Life Discovered Through An Electron Microscope

by Keith CowingJanuary 30, 2024January 30, 2024

Meteorites are fragments of asteroids which find their way to Earth as shooting stars. These cosmic sediments have frozen the primordial soup from which our solar system emerged – preserving […]

A melt splash discovered on a Ryugu sample surface. The melt splash shows a round shape. - Tohoku University

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Press Release

Records Of Cometary Dust Hitting Asteroid Ryugu

by Keith CowingJanuary 24, 2024January 23, 2024

Ryugu is a near-Earth asteroid that gained significant attention when the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission collected samples and returned them to Earth. These samples have proven to offer a treasure trove […]

Optical images of the Ryugu sample (left) and the CI chondrite (Orgueil ; right). ©Kana Amano et al.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

Ryugu Samples Illuminate Terrestrial Weathering Effects On Primitive Meteorites

by Keith CowingDecember 11, 2023December 11, 2023

A groundbreaking study conducted by a team of international scientists has unveiled unprecedented insights into the nature of the asteroid Ryugu and shed light on the composition of water- and […]

a, Backscattered electron image of a fine Ryugu grain. The white boxes correspond to the areas shown in b and c. b, Secondary electron image of framboidal magnetite showing granular texture. c, Secondary electron image of porous iron sulfide surrounded by phyllosilicate. The arrow points to an iron whisker on the iron sulfide surface. Sample ID is A0104-021012.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Meteorites Were A Likely Source Of Nitrogen For Early Earth

by Keith CowingDecember 2, 2023December 2, 2023

Micrometeorites originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer Solar System may be responsible for transporting nitrogen to the near-Earth region in the early days of our solar system. That […]

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

Exploring The Origin Of Nucleosynthetic Isotope Variations In Ryugu Samples

by Keith CowingNovember 10, 2023November 13, 2023

The Hayabusa2 space mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) returned home with samples of the asteroid Ryugu that orbits the Sun between Earth and Mars.

An illustration of the catastrophic collision and gravitation reaccumulation model. (1) The Ryugu progenitor planetesimal forms via the accretion of silicate dust and water-rich ice. (2) aqueous alteration leads to the alteration of the silicate dust and the formation of new minerals. Organic matter accreted within the ice is also altered to form new OM. (3) an impactor collides with the planetesimal reducing the body to debris. (4) the debris reaccumulates due to gravity and forms a rubble pile asteroid. (5) Rotation imparted by the impact and from the YORP effect leads to the generation of a spinning top-shaped asteroid and its movement into a near-Earth orbit. Credit for the image of Ryugu belongs with JAXA. -- Life

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

Organic Matter In The Asteroid Ryugu: What We Know So Far

by Keith CowingJuly 31, 2023July 31, 2023

Simple Summary: Organic matter is an integral part of all living things on our planet, but abiotic (not relating to life) organic matter can be found throughout the Solar System […]

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

Uracil Has Been Found In Asteroid Ryugu Samples

by Keith CowingMarch 21, 2023March 21, 2023

Researchers have analyzed samples of asteroid Ryugu collected by the Japanese Space Agency’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft and found uracil—one of the informational units that make up RNA, the molecules that contain […]