Ryugu Archives

The opened science canister in the glovebox at JSC. The cylindrical TAGSAM head is positioned in the center of the avionics deck. Dark particles and dust can be seen on the avionics deck, the top of TAGSAM, and the inside of the canister’s lid. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report

Asteroid (101955) Bennu In The Laboratory: Properties Of The Sample Collected By OSIRIS-REx

by Keith CowingApril 22, 2024April 22, 2024

On 24 September 2023, the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission dropped a capsule to Earth containing approximately 120 g of pristine carbonaceous regolith from Bennu.

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 […]

Principal component values for all six meteorites studied at different grain sizes are shown with the “α-line” boundary from DeMeo et al. (2009) that separates the S- and C/X-complexes. Grain size variations can be seen by using the dotted line interconnecting PC values of measurements of the same meteorite at different grain sizes. Marker size increases with grain size which includes values of 45-90 µm, 90-150 µm, 150-300 µm, 300-500 µm, and 500-1,000 µm. The Lunar-style space weathering trend from Binzel et al. (2019) is shown with blue dots and a corresponding arrow showing the direction of increasing space weathering. The carbonaceous space weathering trend from Lantz et al. (2018) is shown with the brown arrow indicating that the measured weathering trend would move in either direction depending on the meteorite composition. It also shows that differentiating between space weathering and grain size effects would be challenging in PC space. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

Grain Size Effects on UV-MIR (0.2-14 micron) Spectra of Carbonaceous Chondrite Groups

by Keith CowingJanuary 22, 2024January 22, 2024

Carbonaceous chondrites are among the most important meteorite types and have played a vital role in deciphering the origin and evolution of our solar system.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Organic Compounds In Asteroids Are Formed In Colder Regions Of Space

by Keith CowingDecember 22, 2023December 22, 2023

Analysis of organic compounds – called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – extracted from the Ryugu asteroid and Murchison meteorite has found that certain PAHs likely formed in the cold areas […]

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 […]

This artwork shows a rocky planet being bombarded by comets. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Panspermia, Press Release

Bouncing Comets Could Deliver Building Blocks For Life To Exoplanets

by Keith CowingNovember 16, 2023November 16, 2023

How did the molecular building blocks for life end up on Earth? One long-standing theory is that they could have been delivered by comets. Now, researchers from the University of […]

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 […]

A representative texture of the Ryugu particle (A0022). (a) An optical image of an entire view of the particle. The rough and irregular surface is finely cracked, resulting in the particle being fragile in nature. (b) A back-scattered electron image of a cross section of the particle. Several µm to 10’s of µm-sized carbonates (mainly dolomite), Fe-oxides (e.g., magnetite), and Fe-sulfides (e.g., pyrrhotite) are widespread in the phyllosilicate-dominated matrix (smectite and serpentine), which also includes sub-µm-sized organic matter, Fe-sulfide, carbonate, and phosphate minerals. -- Okayama University

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

How Were Amino Acids Formed Before The Origin Of Life On Earth?

by Keith CowingApril 5, 2023April 5, 2023

Our solar system formed from a molecular cloud, which was composed of gas and dust that was emitted into the interstellar medium (ISM), a vast space between stars. On collapse […]

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 […]