With all efforts and perseverance, the Japanese still failed to collect the first-ever samples from an asteroid, even after collecting it. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) seems to be losing all hopes of the mission being successful. The Hayabusa spacecraft is likely to have failed in its landmark mission, mission officials said on Wednesday. It also faces trouble returning to Earth.
The saddest part is, the mission failed not only after crossing several hurdles, but after the Hayabusa probe “most probably” success in gathering material from the Itokawa asteroid. The location is 290 million kilometers from Earth, on 26 November. It was thought that the spacecraft landed on the space rock for just one second, firing two metal pellets to throw up material for collection in a cone-shaped horn. The rest is all history.
Via: New Scientist
