A capsule containing pristine asteroid samples will blaze a trail down to Earth on Saturday morning US time. JAXA The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is gearing up to collect samples scooped from near-Earth asteroid Ryugu by the expertly engineered Hayabusa2 probe. The spacecraft’s sample collection capsule is set to land near […]
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A breakthrough on protein folding could unlock new possibilities into disease understanding and drug discovery, among other fields. A new discovery about “protein folding” could unlock a world of possibilities into the understanding of everything from diseases to drugs, researchers say. The breakthrough that is sending ripples of excitement through […]
By Leah Crane An illustration of the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft passing near EarthAkihiro Ikeshita/JAXA Hayabusa 2 is about to attempt an audacious feat. The Japanese spacecraft, which launched towards the asteroid Ryugu in 2014, is on its way back to Earth carrying two samples of rocks and dust from the […]
HELSINKI — China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft are preparing for a first-ever robotic rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit and a major hurdle to delivering lunar samples to Earth. At 11:15 a.m. Eastern Saturday an ascent vehicle fresh off the moon and laden with samples will begin an approach phase with the […]
Hayabusa 2 A Japanese spacecraft is about to deliver to Earth the first large sample of rock and soil from an asteroid. The Hayabusa-2 probe will release its precious sample cache, which is expected to parachute down to a safe landing in the Australian outback. It grabbed the cosmic treasure […]
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese space agency officials said Friday the Hayabusa2 spacecraft is on its intended trajectory as it approaches Earth to deliver a capsule containing samples from a distant asteroid that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on Earth. The spacecraft left the […]
As Douglas Adams once said: Space is big. Really big. Consequently, scientists see only tiny slivers of space at any given moment, so on those infrequent occasions when something new is observed, it’s a revelatory delight. Astronomers recently witnessed an enigmatic icy object in Jupiter’s shadow begin its transformation into […]
This photo from 1964 shows a Centaur upper-stage rocket. Space object 2020 SO is one of these. NASA Welcome back, Surveyor 2 Centaur rocket booster. We just got a new chapter in a bittersweet space saga that involves a fiery launch, a doomed moon mission and decades of space wanderings. […]