Rovers Beam Back Video Footage From An Asteroid In Historic First
- 6 years ago
Japan's rovers have sent back video footage and images from asteroid Ryugu's surface.
Hyabusa2's rovers have beamed back the first video footage from the surface of asteroid Ryugu, located about 200 million miles away. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced in a Thursday tweet: "Rover-1B succeeded in shooting a movie on Ryugu's surface! The movie has 15 frames captured on September 23, 2018…Enjoy 'standing' on the surface of this asteroid!"
The agency also released new images of Ryugu's rugged landscape. Both Rover-1B and Rover-1A were released from Hyabusa2 on September 21, notes the BBC. That spacecraft reached the asteroid in June after traveling for roughly three-and-a-half years. Hyabusa2 will eventually touch down on the asteroid's surface, where it will gather information and collect samples before heading home in December 2019.
Hyabusa2's rovers have beamed back the first video footage from the surface of asteroid Ryugu, located about 200 million miles away. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced in a Thursday tweet: "Rover-1B succeeded in shooting a movie on Ryugu's surface! The movie has 15 frames captured on September 23, 2018…Enjoy 'standing' on the surface of this asteroid!"
The agency also released new images of Ryugu's rugged landscape. Both Rover-1B and Rover-1A were released from Hyabusa2 on September 21, notes the BBC. That spacecraft reached the asteroid in June after traveling for roughly three-and-a-half years. Hyabusa2 will eventually touch down on the asteroid's surface, where it will gather information and collect samples before heading home in December 2019.