A Japanese spacecraft bombed an asteroid and it barely flinched Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2271401-a-japanese-spacecraft-bombed-an-asteroid-and-it-barely-flinched/#ixzz6pg9oKUco
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
SPACE 15 March 2021
By Leah Crane

The Hayabusa 2 spacecraft shot the asteroid Ryugu with a lump of copper in 2019
JAXA, University of Tokyo & collaborators
In 2019, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft bombed the asteroid Ryugu, using explosives to shoot it with a 2.5-kilogram lump of copper to create an artificial crater. Scientists expected this impact to shake the ground, but its actual effect was far milder.
Images from Hayabusa 2 have shown that the surface of Ryugu has fewer small craters than we would expect for an asteroid of its size, which probably indicates that dust is being moved somehow to fill in …
Continue reading
Subscribe now for unlimited access
APP + WEB

- Unlimited web access
- New Scientist app
- Videos of over 200 science talks plus weekly crosswords available exclusively to subscribers
- Exclusive access to subscriber-only events including our 1st of July Climate Change event
- A year of unparalleled environmental coverage, exclusively with New Scientist and UNEP
$3.47
PER WEEK
Save 49%
PRINT + APP + WEB

- Unlimited web access
- Weekly print edition
- New Scientist app
- Videos of over 200 science talks plus weekly crosswords available exclusively to subscribers
- Exclusive access to subscriber-only events including our 1st of July Climate Change event
- A year of unparalleled environmental coverage, exclusively with New Scientist and UNEP
$6.25
PER WEEK
Save 54%
Existing subscribers, please log in with your email address to link your account access.
Paid annually by Credit Card
Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)
Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2271401-a-japanese-spacecraft-bombed-an-asteroid-and-it-barely-flinched/#ixzz6pgA3Kfz7
Comments
Post a Comment