Ancient asteroid Ryugu (1 photo)

This image was taken on October 3, 2018, by the German-French lander MASCOT (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout) as it "falled" onto the surface of the 900-meter-wide asteroid Ryugu as part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa2 mission.



The image captures the moment when MASCOT was just a few meters from the asteroid.

MASCOT separated when Hayabusa2 was about 50 meters above the asteroid, beginning a descent that lasted 20 minutes. In total, the lander transmitted 20 images, revealing details of the asteroid's rough, boulder-strewn surface. These served as important reference points for the main probe during the sample collection, which were returned to Earth on December 5, 2020. Analysis of these samples revealed organic molecules and water, further confirming the hypothesis that asteroids played a key role in the origin of life on Earth.

After its successful landing, MASCOT spent 17 hours and 7 minutes on Ryugu—slightly longer than the planned 16 hours. During this time, the lander changed its position twice using an internal pendulum mechanism and conducted scientific measurements at four different locations. The data obtained revealed that Ryugu is a pile of clumped debris formed by the breakup of a larger celestial body.

Interesting fact: "presolar grains"—material formed long before the birth of the solar system—were discovered in the soil samples. Our planetary system is literally woven from the debris of alien worlds.