The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced Nov. 16 that it has determined that most of some 1,500 particles contained in the unmanned space probe Hayabusa (peregrine falcon), which returned to Earth in June from the asteroid Itokawa, originated from the asteroid orbiting Earth and Mars.
Hayabusa, launched in may 2003, landed on the 550-meter-long asteroid twice in November 2005. Although it failed to collect rocks and sand from Itokawa, it was hoped that dust kicked up by the probe's landing had entered the capsule. Hayabusa returned to Earth after a seven-year, 6-billion-km trip, overcoming a series of troubles, including engine and communication problems.
This is the first time that mineral samples from an asteroid have been collected. Minerals from the Moon and comet dust had been the only extraterrestrial minerals obtained. Japan can be proud of the feat achieved by Hayabusa and its mission team.