St. Louis Science Center: Astronomy Fact Of The Day: November 27, 2021

Press release from St. Louis Science Center:

November 27, 2021

Today in 2005, the Japanese probe Hayabusa grazed the surface of the asteroid Itokawa, retrieving material to return to Earth for study. Tiny grains of asteroidal material were returned to Earth aboard the spacecraft in June of 2010. A concise description of the mission may be found here.

This press release was produced by St. Louis Science Center. The views expressed here are the author’s own.