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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Treasure Hunting With Hayabusa2
IN THE EARLY hours of 22 February, light was just beginning to brighten the campus of JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences (ISAS) in Kanagawa, Japan. It should have been a quiet time, but the Hayabusa2 control room was packed with people. We were about to land on an asteroid.
Hayabusa2 drops second target marker, targets artificial crater for sample collection
The reflective softball-sized sphere will give the spacecraft a visual guide during a second potential sample collection.
Hayabusa2 Encounters Snag Trying to Drop Second Target Marker
The spacecraft is healthy and safe, but time is running out to collect a second sample from asteroid Ryugu.
Here's a Roundup of Recent OSIRIS-REx Postcards from Bennu
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is currently sweeping arcs between the asteroid's north and south poles.
Here’s an Update on Hayabusa2’s Crater-Creating Explosion
Hayabusa2's SCI experiment fell toward Ryugu for 40 minutes before detonating about 300 meters above the surface.
Hayabusa2 Safe and Sound after Blasting New Crater on Ryugu
Hayabusa2 successfully used its explosive-packed SCI experiment to create an artificial crater on asteroid Ryugu.
First Science Results from Hayabusa2 Mission
The Hayabusa2 team held a press briefing last week at LPSC to report newly published results on asteroid Ryugu.
What to Expect When Hayabusa2 Blows a Hole in Asteroid Ryugu
The Hayabusa 2 spacecraft will deploy its Small Carry-on Impactor experiment, SCI, on 5 April.
OSIRIS-REx sees Bennu spewing stuff into space
The asteroid's rotation rate is also increasing, and scientists continue refining the plan to collect a regolith sample next year.
Hayabusa2 Scores a Bulls-eye on Touchdown, More Explodey Fun on the Horizon
The mission is also gearing up for a possible second sample collection.
Watch Hayabusa2's incredible touchdown on asteroid Ryugu
The spacecraft fired a bullet into the surface and unleashed a massive spray of debris.
Hayabusa2 has touched down on Ryugu!
Touchdown occurred at about 22:49 UTC on 21 February, and the spacecraft is healthy.
What to expect when Hayabusa2 collects a sample from Ryugu
More than 4 years after launch and a half year surveying asteroid Ryugu, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft is ready for sample collection.
OSIRIS-REx stable in Bennu orbit, team refines sample collection plans
The team has yet to find a Bennu sample site that matches their pre-arrival expectations, meaning their plans will probably have to change.
Hayabusa2 team sets date for sample collection, considers two touchdown sites
Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft will try to collect a sample from asteroid Ryugu during the week of 18 February, mission officials said during a press briefing last week.
News brief: OSIRIS-REx arrives in orbit at Bennu
Today at 19:43 UTC, OSIRIS-REx entered orbit at asteroid Bennu. In so doing, it accomplished both the tightest orbit (at an altitude under 2 kilometers) and the orbit of the smallest object ever. UPDATE: Early science results from OSIRIS-REx discussed at New Horizons MU69 flyby event.
Dawn Journal: Final Transmission
After more than 11 years in deep space, after unveiling the two largest uncharted worlds in the inner solar system, after overcoming myriad daunting obstacles, Dawn's interplanetary adventure has come to an end.
Flying By Home
Vicky Hamilton explores how OSIRIS-REx used its Earth flyby to test instruments on the way to asteroid Bennu.
News brief: OSIRIS-REx finds water on Bennu
OSIRIS-REx team members held a press briefing today at the 2018 American Geophysical Union meeting, and announced that the mission has already found water on asteroid Bennu.
"We have arrived!" OSIRIS-REx is officially at asteroid Bennu
After a 2-billion-kilometer journey that began in September 2016, NASA's OSIRS-REx spacecraft has arrived at Bennu.