Jun 132024
Artist’s Idea of Hayabusa above the Asteroid
Hayabusa returned to earth in 2010 from its trip to collect samples of Near-Earth Asteroid 25143 Itokawa. The unmanned Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) launched from a Japanese space center on May 9, 2003, and it landed on the asteroid on November 19, 2005. It collected samples of the asteroid and successfully brought those samples back. The samples reveal that the asteroid is more like a meteorite than an earth rock. Children can learn more at: Hayabusa.