Japanese Rover Delivers Footage from Asteroid
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully landed rovers launched from its Hayabusa 2 spaceship on an asteroid named Ryugu, and have released images and video footage from the asteroid's surface. The journey took 3.5 years for the ship to reach the 900m-wide asteroid, formerly known by the number 162173, which is thought to be a left over from the birth of the solar system and may give scientists information about the formation of Earth.
JAXA
The two 1kg rovers leap in up to 50ft bounds to maneuver around the rough surface, but these jumps can take up to 15 minutes due to the very low gravity. Hayabusa 2 will soon be dropping several more rovers before descending itself to collect samples later this year. If all goes will, the ship will be back on Earth some time in 2020.
JAXA. Shadow of Hyabusa 2 above Asteroid.
Imagine if the samples bring back some xenofungal spores. Spores are capable of existing in space's atmosphere (or lack there of). There was an unsubstantiated theory that all fungi came from outer-space and is possibly the progenitor for life itself. Fungi and all life have a rather close relationship. Such as what we see plants communication networks -
So, would't it be cool is some new fungus arrive that creates an unforeseeable change; like super powers! Or perhaps extra dimensional perception.
That would be amazing!
Wooow, quite interesting. The images has such a good definition!, I would like to see the spectrographic results. I hope they will find a new chemical element.
wow ! interesting!