Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Hayabusa2 Target Marker E Drop Images

Hayabusa2 Target Marker E Drop Images
Hayabusa2 Target Marker E Drop Images This overlay of images shows Hayabusa2 dropping a target marker (TM-E) toward the surface of asteroid Ryugu from a height of 1 kilometer on 17 September 2019. The images were taken 4 seconds apart for 1 minute as the spacecraft ascended at a rate of 11 centimeters per second. The marker's descent speed is almost zero. Hayabusa2 dropped 2 markers on 17 September as part of a gravity experiment aimed at learning more about Ryugu’s interior. The markers bear names collected by The Planetary Society and JAXA in 2013. JAXA, Chiba Inst. Tech & collaborators