Having already delivered samples of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth, Hayabusa2 will soon attempt one of the closest, riskiest space-rock flybys in spaceflight history.
“While the site had previously been identified as an ancient impact crater, its exact age remained uncertain.”
An asteroid has been named after Smith, who died in 2003 at the age of 34.
Evidence of chemical alteration by liquid water has been found on the asteroid Donaldjohanson, which formed further from the sun before being shoved inwards.
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Even small asteroids lead complex lives. During its flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson last year, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft revealed the asteroid to be a wobbly, peanut-shaped body that has undergone a lot of activity in its relatively short history. Formed as fragments coalesced after a violent collision 155 million years ago, the asteroid was transformed by the […]
The asteroid impact that triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs may also have created one of Earth’s most enduring habitats for life.
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NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed its close approach of Mars on May 15, coming within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the planet’s surface. This flyby used a gravity assist from Mars to provide a critical boost in speed and to adjust the spacecraft’s orbital plane without using any onboard propellant, sending it on its way toward […]
The livestream will begin at 3:45 p.m. EDT on May 18, bringing near real time views of the asteroid from robotic telescopes in Italy, weather permitting.
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Dante’s description of the fall of Lucifer to Earth from heaven seems to sport many of the hallmarks of an impact, forming a multi-ringed crater with a central peak.
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Samples of Ryugu returned to Earth by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft show that the asteroid bears the scars of a recent bombardment by tiny space rocks.
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