Scientists analyzing samples from the asteroid Ryugu, brought back to Earth by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission, have made a groundbreaking discovery—two organic compounds essential for living organisms have been detected. This exciting finding could provide key insights into the origins of life and the early solar system.
Key Findings from the Ryugu Asteroid Samples
- A study published in the journal Science Advances suggests that these samples contain evidence of cometary organic matter being transported from space to regions near Earth.
- The analysis found melt splashes on the sample surfaces, created when Ryugu was bombarded by micrometeoroids of cometary dust.
- The study proposes that cometary matter could have been transported from the outer solar system to a region near Earth.
Hayabusa 2 Mission
- The Hayabusa-2 mission is a Japanese Spacecraft and was launched in December 2014 when the spacecraft was sent on a six-year voyage to study the asteroid Ryugu
- The spacecraft, which was approximately the size of a refrigerator, travelled more than 5 billion kilometers during its journey.
- The spacecraft arrived at the asteroid in mid-2018 after which it deployed two rovers and a small lander onto the surface.
- It was the first to deploy rovers to operate on an asteroid.
- In 2019, the spacecraft fired an impactor into the asteroid’s surface to create an artificial crater with a diametre of a little more than 10 metres, which allowed it to collect the samples.
- In December 2020, Hayabusa-2 delivered a small capsule that contained the rock and dust samples when it was 220,000 km from the Earth’s atmosphere, which safely landed in the South Australian outback.
- After delivering the capsule, the spacecraft continued on to a new mission. This new phase is referred to as the “Extended Mission”, with a new target destination of the small asteroid, 1998 KY26.
Background of the Hayabusa2 Mission
- Hayabusa2 is a follow-up to Japan’s original Hayabusa mission, which was the first spacecraft to take samples from an asteroid
- It was also the first mission to successfully land and take off from an asteroid.
- It returned samples from asteroid 25143 Itokawa to Earth on June 13, 2010.
- Hayabusa1 was the first controlled landing on an asteroid and the first ascent from a Solar System body other than the moon.
- However, the samples of asteroid dust were very small, reportedly due to technical issues. An analysis later revealed the presence of minerals like olivine and plagioclase.
Mission Objectives of Hayabusa2
- To clarify the origin and evolution of the Solar System, including the beginnings of life.
- To establish deep space exploration technology by taking on new challenges.
What Is An Asteroid?
- Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, much smaller than planets.
- They are also called minor planets. According to NASA, there are 994,383 known asteroids, the remnants from the formation of the solar system over 4.6 billion years ago.
- Asteroids are divided into three classes. First are those found in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which is estimated to contain somewhere between 1.1-1.9 million asteroids.
- The second group is that of trojans, which are asteroids that share an orbit with a larger planet. NASA reports the presence of Jupiter, Neptune and Mars trojans. In 2011, they reported an Earth trojan as well.
- The third classification is Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA), which have orbits that pass close to the Earth. Those that cross the Earth’s orbit are called Earth-crossers. More than 10,000 such asteroids are known, out of which over 1,400 are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs).
- Ryugu is also classified as a PHA and was discovered in 1999 and was given the name by the Minor Planet Center in 2015.
Why Study Asteroids Like Ryugu?
- Asteroids, like comets, are primitive bodies that can be considered to be the building blocks of the early solar system.
- Larger planets like Earth went through a more complex evolution over which the pristine materials were melted and altered significantly. Due to this change, the materials found on large planets do not hold information into their early stages of formation.
- Comets and asteroids, formed early in the evolution of the Solar System, retain a record of when, where and in what conditions they were formed
The Significance of Ryugu and Its Organic Compounds
The detection of organic compounds in Ryugu’s samples has profound implications. It suggests that the building blocks of life could have been transported to Earth through asteroid and cometary impacts, a theory known as panspermia. These findings not only provide clues about the origins of life but also help us understand the chemical processes that occurred in the early solar system.
As scientists continue to analyze these samples, asteroid Ryugu remains a pivotal subject of study in unraveling the mysteries of our solar system’s formation and the potential origins of life on Earth.
By investigating asteroids like Ryugu, we gain invaluable knowledge that could shape our understanding of the universe and our place within it. The Hayabusa2 mission has once again proven the immense potential of space exploration in answering fundamental questions about life, the cosmos, and the evolution of the solar system.
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