sample return mission
Tiny Fragments of a 4-Billion Year Old Asteroid Reveal Its History
In June 2018, Japan's Hayabusa 2 mission reached asteroid 162173 Ryugu. It studied the asteroid for about 15 months, deploying…
This Mess of Boulders Was Deposited by an Ancient River on Mars
NASA's Perseverance rover took its 20th sample from "Emerald Lake," an area filled by rocks that were deposited by an…
Fly Around Jezero Crater on Mars in This New Video
There’s a reason Jezero Crater was chosen as the landing site for the Perseverance Rover: it is considered one of…
Perseverance is Putting its Samples Onto the Surface of Mars, So a Future Helicopter can Pick Them Up
At this point in its mission, NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover has collected almost 50% of its samples. The rover is…
JAXA’s Ambitious Mission to Phobos Will Even Have European-Built Rover
Japan and Germany have a history of collaboration in scientific and technological endeavours. The countries have a Joint Committee on…
Perseverance is Searching for the Perfect Landing Spot for the Upcoming Sample Return Mission
NASA’s car-sized Perseverance (Percy) Mars rover has been had at work carrying out its science campaign in Jezero Crater on…
Japan’s Upcoming Mission Will Use a Vacuum to Get its Sample From Phobos
JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, is carving out a niche for itself in sample-return missions. Their Hayabusa mission was…
After Its Last Rock Sample Crumbled Into Powder, Perseverance is Going to try Again
In the last two decades, we have all grown accustomed to rovers exploring Mars. At least one rover has been…
Perseverance Fails to Collect its First Sample
The Perseverance rover failed to collect its first sample because the rock it tried to drill the sample from was…
Organic Material Found on an Asteroid Sample Returned by Hayabusa 1
Panspermia is an idea that has been around for a long time. It was first mentioned in the 5th century…