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☆ Meet SpaceHopper, a three-legged hopping asteroid explorer
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Amy Gunia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

That includes SpaceHopper, a three-legged robot designed for exploring microgravity environments, like the surface of asteroids. Developed by university students at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland, it bends its legs to propel itself off the ground. “But we can build robots that could do this task for us.”ETH Zurich student Valerio Schelbert holds SpaceHopper. A three-legged hopping robot that can reorient itself in zero gravity is “a completely new idea,” said Florian Kehl, a lecturer in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences of ETH Zurich. The team behind LunarLeaper, including ETH Zurich academics, hope to use it to explore a pit thought to be connected to a subsurface hollow lava tube.

Persons: Valerio Schelbert, Andrew Waller, ”, Florian Kehl, SpaceHopper, CNN “ Organizations: CNN, Apollo, Earth’s, ETH Zurich, SpaceHopper, ” ETH Zurich, Department of, Planetary Sciences, European Space Agency, ESA, Tech Locations: Switzerland, California, Japan, Germany, France

☆ Asteroid Bennu has a surprisingly watery past, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An early analysis of a sample collected from the asteroid Bennu suggests that the space rock had an unexpectedly water-rich past — and it may have even splintered off from an ancient ocean world. But the compound from the Bennu sample is purer and has larger grains. Rocks and dust were collected from asteroid Bennu and returned to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx mission. Erika Blumenfeld/Joseph Aebersold/NASA“The sample we returned is the largest reservoir of unaltered asteroid material on Earth right now,” Lauretta said. “Each week, analysis by the OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Team provides new and sometimes surprising findings that are helping place important constraints on the origin and evolution of Earth-like planets.”

Persons: REx, ”, Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS, Connolly, Dante Lauretta, “, Erika Blumenfeld, Joseph Aebersold, ” Lauretta, Nick Timms, Harold Connolly Jr Organizations: CNN, NASA, Planetary, Goddard Space Flight, Japan Aerospace, Earth, University of Arizona, Bennu, Curtin University’s School of, Planetary Sciences, Rowan University’s School of Earth Locations: Greenbelt , Maryland, Tucson, Glassboro , New Jersey

☆ NASA’s DART mission: Spacecraft impact reshaped Dimorphos asteroid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —When NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft intentionally slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022, the impact may have caused “global deformation” of the space rock, according to new research. Dimorphos is a moonlet asteroid that orbits a larger parent asteroid known as Didymos. The DART mission ended upon impact, but prior to colliding with Dimorphos, the spacecraft transmitted an incredibly detailed view of the little asteroid’s boulder-covered surface that is helping researchers learn more about how the space rock formed. Rather than forming a simple crater on Dimorphos, the DART impact reshaped the entire asteroid, the results have suggested. Recreating the DART impactA team of researchers modeled the impact using the Bern smoothed-particle hydrodynamics shock physics code to achieve their results.

Persons: Dimorphos, It’s, ”, Dr, Sabina Raducan, Japan’s, ” Raducan, Martin Jutzi, Hera, Raducan, Sir Brian May, Claudia Manzoni Organizations: CNN, DART, Dimorphos, University of Bern’s Physics Locations: Italian, Dimorphos, Bern, Switzerland

Japan became the fifth country in history to reach the moon when the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, touched down on the Moon early on Saturday. Improved accuracy would give scientists access to more of the moon, since probes could be placed nearer to obstacles. One of the lander's main engines lost thrust about 50 meters (54 yards) above the moon surface, causing a harder landing than planned. For the pinpoint landing, Sakai said, he would give SLIM a “perfect score.”“We demonstrated that we can land where we want,” Sakai said. Japan followed the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India to reach the moon surface.

Persons: Smart, SLIM, touchtown, Shinichiro Sakai, ”, Sakai, ” “, ” Sakai, “, ” LEV, toymaker Tomy, LEV, Daichi Hirano Organizations: TOKYO, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Sony, Doshisha University, Mitsubishi Locations: Japan, United States, Soviet Union, China, India, Japanese

☆ A new space photo of Japan's first spacecraft to land on the moon shows why it's not generating any power
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Mari Yamaguchi | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Japan became the fifth country in history to reach the moon when the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, touched down on the Moon early on Saturday. One of the lander's main engines lost thrust about 50 meters (54 yards) above the moon surface, causing a harder landing than planned. 275 images from spaceTwo probes on Japan's SLIM moon lander. Japan followed the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India to reach the moon surface. A spacecraft designed by a Japanese company crashed during a lunar landing attempt in April, and a new flagship rocket failed its debut launch in March.

Persons: —, Smart, SLIM, Eugene Hoshiko, Shinichiro Sakai, Sakai, JAXA LEV, LEV, toymaker Tomy, Daichi Hirano Organizations: Service, Business, AP, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Sony, Doshisha University, Mitsubishi Locations: Japan, United States, Soviet Union, China, India, Japanese

TOKYO (AP) — As Japan's space agency prepares for its first moon landing early Saturday, it's aiming to hit a very small target. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, a lightweight spacecraft about the size of a passenger vehicle, is using “pinpoint landing” technology that promises far greater control than any previous moon landing. The mission's main goal is to test new landing technology that would allow moon mission to land “where we want to, rather than where it is easy to land,” JAXA has said. After landing, the spacecraft will seek clues about the origin of the Moon, including analyzing minerals with a special camera. Japan also hopes a success will help regain confidence for its space technology after a number of failures.

Persons: Smart Lander, SLIM, LEV, toymaker Tomy Organizations: TOKYO, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, U.S, Mitsubishi, Sony, Doshisha University Locations: Japan, United States, Russia, China, India, Tokyo

☆ NASA to unveil first newly returned near-Earth asteroid sample
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The material collected by the OSRIS-REx spacecraft three years ago from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu was to be unveiled at NASA's Johnston Space Center in Houston, a little more than two weeks after it was parachuted into the Utah desert. The landing of the return capsule capped a six-year joint mission of the U.S. space agency and the University of Arizona. It was only the third asteroid sample, and by far the biggest, ever returned to Earth for analysis, following two similar missions by Japan's space agency ending in 2010 and 2020. At the time it landed, the Bennu sample was estimated to weigh about 100 to 250 grams (3.5 to 8.8 ounces). Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Keegan, REx, NASA's, Johnson, Samples, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: NASA, Department of Defense's Utah, Space Center, University of Arizona, Utah Test, Empire, Thomson Locations: Dugway , Utah, U.S, Houston, Utah, Ryugu, Los Angeles

☆ NASA's first asteroid sample parachutes into Utah desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sept 24 (Reuters) - A NASA space capsule carrying the largest soil sample ever scooped up from the surface of an asteroid streaked through Earth's atmosphere on Sunday and parachuted into the Utah desert, delivering the celestial specimen to scientists. It marked only the third asteroid sample, and by far the biggest, ever returned to Earth for analysis, following two similar missions by Japan's space agency ending in 2010 and 2020. OSIRIS-REx collected its specimen three years ago from Bennu, a small, carbon-rich asteroid discovered in 1999. Parachutes deployed near the very end of the descent, slowing the capsule to about 11 mph before it fell gently onto the desert floor of northwestern Utah. The Bennu sample has been estimated at 250 grams (8.8 ounces), far surpassing the 5 grams carried back from Ryugu in 2020 or the tiny specimen delivered from asteroid Itokawa in 2010.

Persons: REx, NASA's, Steve Gorman, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NASA, University of Arizona, Empire, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Thomson Locations: Utah, Salt Lake City, military's, Bennu, Ryugu, Houston, Los Angeles

☆ Capsule with NASA's first asteroid sample heads for Utah touchdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The robotic spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to release the gumdrop-shaped capsule, transporting about a cup of gravelly asteroid material, at 6:42 a.m. EDT (1042 GMT) for a final descent to Earth, climaxing a seven-year voyage. The spacecraft departed Bennu in May 2021 for a 1.2-billion-mile (1.9-billion-km) cruise back to Earth, including two orbits around the sun. The Bennu sample is estimated at 250 grams (8.8 ounces), far surpassing the 5 grams of material carried back from Ryugu in 2020 or the tiny specimen delivered from asteroid Itokawa in 2010. Scientists hope the integrity of the capsule and inner cannister bearing the asteroid material will be maintained through re-entry and landing, keeping the sample pristine and free of any terrestrial contamination. The main portion of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, meanwhile, is expected to sail on to explore yet another near-Earth asteroid, named Apophis.

Persons: Joel Kowsky, REx, climaxing, NASA's, Steve Gorman, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: United Launch Alliance, V, Cape Canaveral Air Force, NASA, Handout, Reuters, University of Arizona, Empire, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Thomson Locations: Florida, U.S, Utah, Salt Lake City, military's, Ryugu, Houston, Los Angeles

☆ OSIRIS-REx: A long-awaited asteroid sample has landed in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seven years after launching to space, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft flew by Earth Sunday to deliver the pristine sample from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The sample capsule, about the size of a large truck tire, and its main parachute can be seen after landing in the Utah desert. What the sample may revealDetails about the sample will be revealed through a NASA broadcast from Johnson Space Center on October 11. If a government shutdown occurs, “it will not endanger the curation and safe handling of the asteroid sample,” said Lori Glaze, director for NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division. “Scientists believe that the asteroid Bennu is representative of the solar system’s own oldest materials forged in large dying stars and supernova explosions,” Glaze said.

Persons: REx, Rich Burns, OSIRIS, Sandra Freund, Burns, ”, Dante Lauretta, Nicole Lunning, REx curation, NASA’s, Lauretta, Lori Glaze, ” Glaze Organizations: CNN, NASA, Earth Sunday, Goddard, University of Arizona, Defense Department’s Utah, Goddard Space Flight, Lockheed, Space Center, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Monday, Johnson Space Center, Canadian Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA’s Planetary Sciences Locations: Bennu, Greenbelt , Maryland, Tucson, Utah, Houston

☆ NASA's first asteroid sample on track for Sunday parachute landing in Utah
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreLOS ANGELES, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A NASA space capsule carrying a sample of rocky material plucked from the surface of an asteroid three years ago hurtled toward Earth this weekend headed for a fiery plunge through the atmosphere and a parachute landing in the Utah desert on Sunday. OSIRIS-REx collected its specimen from Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid discovered in 1999 and classified as a "near-Earth object" because it passes relatively close to our planet every six years. The Bennu sample is estimated at 250 grams (8.8 ounces), far surpassing the amount of material carried back from asteroid Ryugu in 2020 and asteroid Itokawa in 2010. The main portion of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, meanwhile, is expected to sail on to explore yet another near-Earth asteroid. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: REx, Sandra Freund, Lockheed Martin, Dante Lauretta, NASA's, Steve Gorman, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: United Launch Alliance, V, Cape Canaveral Air Force, NASA, Lockheed, University of Arizona, Empire, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Thomson Locations: Florida, U.S, ANGELES, Utah, military's, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Houston, Los Angeles

The sample capsule will parachute into the Utah desert as its mothership, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft, zooms off for an encounter with another asteroid. The asteroid samples will be handled inside nitrogen-purging gloveboxes by staff in head-to-toe clean room suits. ASTEROID AUTUMNThis fall is what NASA is calling Asteroid Autumn, with three asteroid missions marking major milestones. Both the NASA spacecraft and its target — a metal asteroid — are named Psyche. Japan’s first asteroid sample mission returned microscopic grains from asteroid Itokawa in 2010.

Persons: —, ”, University of Arizona’s Dante Lauretta, Rex, Bennu, Lauretta, NASA’s, Johnson, Kevin Righter, Lucy Organizations: NASA, University of Arizona’s, Empire, Defense Department’s Utah, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Apollo, Soviet Union, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Utah, Japan, Bennu, Colorado, Houston, Antarctica, Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S, China

☆ How NASA has prepared to scoop up an asteroid sample landing in the desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An asteroid sample stowed inside a NASA spacecraft is about to reach Earth after traveling for nearly 2½ years across space. It’s NASA’s first time collecting and returning an asteroid sample from space. Teams have been rehearsing how to retrieve the sample, originally collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, when it drops down into the Utah desert on September 24. Keegan Barber/NASAThe mission’s original goal was to retrieve a pristine asteroid sample. The team has also prepared for different landing scenarios, such as a hard landing where the capsule containing the sample opens unexpectedly.

Persons: NASA’s, REx, ”, Nicola Fox, ” It’s, Keegan Barber, Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS, “, Rich Burns, ” Burns, Burns, Sandra Freund, Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Freund, Molly Wasser, Kevin Righter, curation, Christopher Snead, ” Snead, ” Lauretta Organizations: CNN, NASA, Goddard, University of Arizona, Department of Defense's Utah, Department of Defense’s Utah, Goddard Space Flight, Lockheed, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Space, Apollo, Space Center, Canadian Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency Locations: Utah, Bennu, Tucson, Salt Lake City, Greenbelt , Maryland, Houston, Johnson

☆ Asteroid discovery suggests ingredients for life on Earth came from space
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] The carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu is seen from a distance of about 12 miles (20 km) during the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 mission on June 30, 2018. Scientists said on Tuesday they detected uracil and niacin in rocks obtained by the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft from two sites on Ryugu in 2019. Scientists long have pondered about the conditions necessary for life to arise after Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago. "It was directly sampled on the asteroid Ryugu and returned to Earth, and finally to laboratories without any contact with terrestrial contaminants." The U.S. space agency NASA during its OSIRIS-REx mission collected samples in 2020 from the asteroid Bennu.

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