Shadow Selfie! Japanese Asteroid Probe Snaps Amazing Post-Landing Pic
By Mike Wall 2 hours ago Spaceflight
Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft snapped this photo just after snagging a
sample from the surface of the asteroid Ryugu on Feb. 21, 2019. The dark
region near the probe's shadow is the touchdown site, which may have
been discolored by Hayabusa2's thrusters and/or material ejected by the
"bullet" the spacecraft fired into the asteroid.(Image: © JAXA, University
of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba
Institute of Technology, Meiji University, University of Aizu, AIST)
A Japanese asteroid probe commemorated its successful sample grab with a stunning post-landing photo.
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft captured the image on Thursday (Feb. 21), just a minute after it briefly touched down on the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, blasted a metal "bullet" into the space rock, collected some of the ejected debris and rose into space once again.
Hayabusa2's shadow is clearly visible in the image, which was taken when the probe was about 82 feet (25 meters) above Ryugu's rugged surface. The touchdown site is obvious as well. [Japan's Hayabusa2 Asteroid Mission in Pictures]
"The color of the region beneath the spacecraft’s shadow differs from the surroundings and has been discolored by the touchdown," Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials wrote in a description of the photo, which was released yesterday (Feb. 24). "At the moment, the reason for the discoloration is unknown but it may be due to the grit that was blown upwards by the spacecraft thrusters or bullet (projectile)."
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