back to article We got it! Japanese space agency confirms its probe has Ryugu asteroid samples

Scientists at Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have confirmed they have samples from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu in the lab and may have more than they originally thought. The asteroid samples were collected by JAXA's Hayabusa 2 probe in two passes, where it fired projectiles into the 1km space rock to collect …

  1. lglethal Silver badge
    Pint

    1st Capsule is now open

    According to BBC, they've now opened the first capsule and it looks like its got a good quantity of rocks and dust (judging by the pic on the BBC website it certainly looks more then a few grams although without a scale it's hard to say for certain).

    https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55315502

    Great work Hayabusa Team! Have one of these --->

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Pint

      Re: 1st Capsule is now open

      You beat me to the update and the pints are definitely deserved.

      But the other thing mentioned in the article that deserves extra pints is that Hayabusa2 is still alive and kicking. Here's hoping for a successful voyage to asteroid 1998 KY26 (and beyond?).

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Pint

        Re: 1st Capsule is now open

        Today's update - they've also found gas (tentatively identified as outgassing from the sample) from the asteroid. No word on what it smells like.

    2. Michael Hoffmann Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: 1st Capsule is now open

      Some top-shelf Sake, surely? Takusan nonde!

    3. hoola Silver badge

      Re: 1st Capsule is now open

      On thee BBC site the words "dust and pebbles" were used so that does suggest more than a few grains. Some real achievements here:

      Getting there

      Collecting the material

      Getting it back safely

      And the mission is still flying.....

  2. Francis Boyle Silver badge

    Meanwhile

    South Australian Police have announced that the hideous entity beyond human imagining that hitched a ride to Earth on the capsule is no longer considered a threat after having been kicked to death by a mildly pissed-off wallaby.

    1. ComputerSays_noAbsolutelyNo Silver badge

      Re: Meanwhile

      Well, everything in Australia will kill you

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdihHnaOQsk

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Meanwhile

        Here in the NT, we can't swim in the sea due to box jellyfish and Saltie crocs. There are usually 1 or 2 fatalities a year from croc attacks. According to the news last week 3 people were bitten by snakes.

        Even the soil will try to kill you if you give it a chance (Melioidosis or Nightcliff Gardeners Disease).

        The animal here that actually scares me the most is the Cassowary. I can avoid crocs by staying out of the water, but a pissed off Cassowary can run faster than you.

        1. lglethal Silver badge
          Trollface

          Re: Meanwhile

          Cassowary's are awesome. Awesome in the same way as a Tyrannosaurus Rex is awesome, i.e You can admire them, marvel at their huge claws, etc., but you REALLY dont want to meet one whilst out taking a walk in the bush.

        2. yas1
          Coat

          Re: Meanwhile

          "Nightcliff Gardeners Disease"

          Is it just me or does that sound like a euphemism for an STD?

      2. Ken 16 Silver badge

        Re: Meanwhile

        Except the beer, it just doesn't have the strength.

  3. MarkET

    Good move

    Bring back a potentially 14B year old sample during a pandemic.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Good move

      The bad news is that the sample contained an alien virus that would have killed half of Earth's population and left the other half sterile. The good news is COVID-19 killed off the alien virus, so that was lucky for Earth.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Good move

        Why do you think Australia doesn't have a problem with COVID-19? The wildlife killed it and ate it. Currently COVID19 is seeking asylum elsewhere because of "persecution".

  4. Winkypop Silver badge
    Alert

    Space dust, 2020, Japanese

    What could go wrong?

    No Godzilla icon.

    1. stiine Silver badge
      Flame

      Re: Space dust, 2020, Japanese

      You didn't read the subheading, did you. Also, now I know why Cyberpunk 2077 has the epilepsy-inducing mode - so you can test your odd man hypothesis...

      That's as close as I can come to a sterno icon --->

      1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
        Alien

        Re: Space dust, 2020, Japanese

        It's anyone's guess whether 2020 will end like the Andromeda Strain, or like another great film of a few years later, Phase IV.

        The ants still have time for a late entry...

        1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
          Pint

          Re: Space dust, 2020, Japanese

          I should be alright, though not quite to the extreme of drinking stove alcohol.

    2. Chris G

      Re: Space dust, 2020, Japanese

      Frankly, I think our own politicians with a modicum of input from favoured corporations, are a far greater threat to mankind and life as we know it, than any space dust borne bug the universe cares to throw at us.

      If anything was alive in that dust, it won't be for long and if it should survive it will be trying to hitch a ride back into space.

      1. andy k O'Croydon

        Re: Space dust, 2020, Japanese

        It'll be needing its towel then.

  5. 0laf
    Pint

    I for one....

    I for one welcome our crumbled Bourbon biscuit (cookie) overlords.

    And long cool pint of Sapporo for the scientists and engineers involved.

    I look forward to the results of your endeavours.

  6. vincent himpe

    leave it ...

    2020 was bad enough. we don't need some face-melting alien virus ...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: leave it ...

      The good news is that the virus that Hayabusa brought back is only ass-melting.

      1. lglethal Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: leave it ...

        Does that leave victims a bit... half-assed?

        Sorry, sorry, getting my coat...

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nothing there.

    My probe flew 200m miles and all it got me was this lousy jar of mud.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Nothing there.

      I was going to go with Oreo crumbs from some snack-happy assembler of the Hayabusa probe.

  8. Danny 2

    Pan's Sperm?

    I dunno, the goat gods jizz theory seems to ignore the need for eggs - who came first?

  9. spold Silver badge

    Just a 0.1g scrap of papyrus...

    ...with a message..."All these asteroids are yours - except Ryugu. Attempt no landing there."

    1. lglethal Silver badge
      Trollface

      Re: Just a 0.1g scrap of papyrus...

      Putting the message on the asteroid you're not supposed to land on is a bit daft isnt it. I mean the intelligent monkeys arent going to read it until after they've already landed there. Kinda defeats the purpose, doesnt it?

  10. Barry Mahon

    Message found in the capsule

    "On an undecipherable date, due to an unknown calendar, this object bashed a bit of rock off Ryugu.

    The fine for this is 1x10 to the power of a million, in the finder's numerical system.

    Payment only accepted in Solar Pal to the following SRL sppl://ryugu.universe.1/bashedrock.dontdoitagain.?"

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