Sample collection from asteroid (162173) Ryugu by Hayabusa2: Implications for surface evolution

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz6306
• Publication Date: 2020-05-07T23:05:38Z
• Authors: T. Morota; S. Sugita; Y. Cho; M. Kanamaru; E. Tatsumi; N. Sakatani; R. Honda; N. Hirata; H. Kikuchi; M. Yamada; Y. Yokota; S. Kameda; M. Matsuoka; H. Sawada; C. Honda; T. Kouyama; K. Ogawa; H. Suzuki; K. Yoshioka; M. Hayakawa; N. Hirata; M. Hirabayashi; H. Miyamoto; T. Michikami; T. Hiroi; R. Hemmi; O. S. Barnouin; C. M. Ernst; K. Kitazato; T. Nakamura; L. Riu; H. Senshu; H. Kobayashi; S. Sasaki; G. Komatsu; N. Tanabe; Y. Fujii; T. Irie; M. Suemitsu; N. Takaki; C. Sugimoto; K. Yumoto; M. Ishida; H. Kato; K. Moroi; D. Domingue; P. Michel; C. Pilorget; T. Iwata; M. Abe; M. Ohtake; Y. Nakauchi; K. Tsumura; H. Yabuta; Y. Ishihara; R. Noguchi; K. Matsumoto; A. Miura; N. Namiki; S. Tachibana; M. Arakawa; H. Ikeda; K. Wada; T. Mizuno; C. Hirose; S. Hosoda; O. Mori; T. Shimada; S. Soldini; R. Tsukizaki; H. Yano; M. Ozaki; H. Takeuchi; Y. Yamamoto; T. Okada; Y. Shimaki; K. Shirai; Y. Iijima; H. Noda; S. Kikuchi; T. Yamaguchi; N. Ogawa; G. Ono; Y. Mimasu; K. Yoshikawa; T. Takahashi; Y. Takei; A. Fujii; S. Nakazawa; F. Terui; S. Tanaka; M. Yoshikawa; T. Saiki; S. Watanabe; Y. Tsuda
• Keywords: Sample (material)

Collecting a sample of asteroid Ryugu The Hayabusa2 spacecraft recently traveled to the nearby carbonaceous collect samples and return them Earth for laboratory analysis. Morota et al. describe Hayabusa2's first collection, taken during brief touchdown on Ryugu's surface. Close-up images video sampling process allowed authors investigate surface colors morphology small scale. Relating these craters stratigraphy constrains evolution Ryugu. conclude that experienced prior period strong solar heating caused by changes in its orbit. is expected arrive December 2020. Science , this issue p. 654