Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Smooth and rough areas on Itokawa

Smooth and rough areas on Itokawa
Smooth and rough areas on Itokawa Hayabusa captured this view of Itokawa as it slowly approached the asteroid on November 9, 2005. The scale of the full-size image is 6 centimeters per pixel. The smooth area to the right is Muses Sea, where the spacecraft would eventually make its touchdown. On the left edge is a circular impact crater called Komaba. Scientists measured the orientation of gravels in this image and found that the gravels had a preferred orientation indicating that they have moved over time toward Muses Sea, probably as a result of impact-induced vibrations. The white box indicates the area covered in a closer view. JAXA