Science and Health

Japanese probe returns with unique asteroid dust

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-06-14 13:45
Large Medium Small

Sample looks safe

JAXA spokesman Makoto Miwada said on Monday that the first photo of the capsule, with a diameter of just 40 cm (15.75 inches) and a height of just 20 cm (7.874 inches), was very encouraging.

Japanese probe returns with unique asteroid dust

The successful re-entry of the Japanese space probe Hayabusa causing a bright streak in the night sky, is seen from Glendambo in the Australian outback June 13, 2010. [Agencies]

"We have only one photo and it looks very safe," he said.

Much of the probe burned up spectacularly in the atmosphere, as planned, forming a spectacular fireball and the capsule could clearly be seen separating, witnesses said.

"It was like a shooting star with a starburst behind it. It was fantastic," one witness said.

Teams from NASA were deployed to watch the 500-kg (1,100-lb) craft's return to the Woomera weapons testing range in South Australia state. A long stretch of central Australia's main north-south Stuart Highway was closed for safety reasons.

The asteroid Itokawa is an irregularly shaped object measuring just over 500 metres (yards) at its longest.

Planetary scientist Trevor Ireland said the dust sample could shed light on the "missing link" between asteroids and meteorites that fall to Earth.

Analysis of the capsule's contents will be carried out in Japan and is expected to take at least six months.