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Whose spacecraft first returned samples from an asteroid?
Quick Answer
Japan’s Hayabusa mission returned the first samples from an asteroid, Itokawa, in 2010. It marked a major breakthrough in sample-return exploration.
The Full Story
JAXA’s Hayabusa spacecraft visited asteroid 25143 Itokawa and returned tiny grains to Earth in 2010. Even though the sample was small, it was the first time material from an asteroid had been brought back for laboratory study. The mission overcame many technical problems and still achieved a historic first. Later missions built on this success, including Hayabusa2 and NASA’s OSIRIS-REx.
Key Facts
1.Samples returned in 2010
2.Target asteroid was Itokawa
3.Mission was Japan’s Hayabusa
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"The tiny asteroid samples that opened a new era in space science"
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