Hayabusa2 2031 is facing an unexpected nightmare

On December 6, 2020, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft fell from the virgin samples of Rayujo asteroid in Australian remote areas, and became the task of returning the second asteroid in the world, after Hayabosa’s first mission returned from the soil sample of Quicua Itokawa in 2010.

This spacecraft itself is currently on its way to another distant rock, aiming to disrupt more samples to help scientists collect the story of the origin of the solar system. However, modern asteroid notes reveal that Hayabusa2 may not be able to stick to its new goal.

Asteroid 1998 Ky26 is a small, blocked object near the ground believed to have about one million gallons of water. It rotates so quickly that one day on the rock ends as soon as it begins, according to Nassa. Hayabusa2 was appointed to decline with the asteroid in 2031 as part of its extended mission to collect more dust and rocks directly from the source.

Now, using many bets all over the world, astronomers collected more data about the new goal of Hayabusa2 and found that it was almost three times smaller and rotates much faster than he originally believed, according to what was mentioned paper Posted in Nature Communications.

Uninterrupted

The researchers behind the new paper merged modern notes with previous radar data, and revealed that the asteroid was only 36 feet (11 meters), unlike 98 feet (30 meters). Moreover, the asteroid revolves around twice as much as the previous data.

“We have found that the reality of the object is completely different from what he previously described,” said Tony Santana Ross, a researcher from the University of Alkante, Spain, and the author of “The New Paper”. statement. “One day on this asteroid only five minutes!”

The first target of Hayabusa2 was measured at a rate of about 3000 feet (900 meters). Spacecraft It landed on the Rigu asteroid On February 22, 2019, for the first time, the second land returned in July 2019 to collect under the surface samples from a hole it created with its first landing. Shortly before her samples were dropped on Earth, the Japan Space Agency (Jaxa) announced an extension of the Hayabusa2 mission and a second lucky goal.

A greater challenge is waiting

Unlike its first goal, the second drop of Hayabusa2 will prove more challenging due to the small size of the asteroid and rapid rotation. The team behind the new study used the very large telescope of the southern observatory and other tools to monitor 1998 KY26 in preparation for meeting the next task.

“The amazing story here is that we found that the size of the asteroid can be compared to the size of the spacecraft that you will visit! We were able to describe such a small object using our telescopes, which means that we can do this for other beings in the future,” said Santana Ross. “Our methods can have an impact on the near -future asteroid exploration plans or even the asteroid mining.”

This has a very interesting manufacturing! Now we just have to wait – inappropriately – for the year 2031 to reach.