Japanese rovers send back images, video from asteroid’s surface

For the first time ever, Japan’s two robot rover recently landed on an asteroid to collect samples, who have now sent images and videos showing the surface of an asteroid.

Japan’s space agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) released new images and footage to show how it feels like ‘standing’ on the ‘Ryugu’ asteroid. The pictures display a rugged, boulder-strewn surface of the space rock 180 million miles away.

The video was shared by the space agency on Twitter with a caption saying ‘enjoy ‘standing’ on the surface of this asteroid’.

Rover-1B succeeded in shooting a movie on Ryugu’s surface! The movie has 15 frames captured on September 23, 2018 from 10:34 - 11:48 JST. Enjoy ‘standing’ on the surface of this asteroid! [6/6] pic.twitter.com/57avmjvdVa

— HAYABUSA2@JAXA (@haya2e_jaxa) September 27, 2018

The 1kg weighting autonomous rovers contain a motor-powered internal mass that rotates for creating force that drives the robot across the rock’s surface. With the help of wide-angle and stereo cameras, the rovers are able to capture and send back images.

Since asteroid has low gravity, these rovers will be able to jump around on the surface. They can jump up as high as 49 ft and stay in the air for as long as 15 minutes – this will help them survey the asteroid’s physical features. They can also measure surface temperatures on the space rock.

The robots known as Rover 1A and Rover 1B were released on the asteroid’s surface last week after a long journey of three-and-a-half years from the Hayabusa2 probe. These rovers are now successfully working on the surface of Ryugu and collecting samples to bring them back to Earth in 2020, as per BBC News.

According to Daily Mail, JAXA claimed that the mission marks the world’s first moving, robotic observation of an asteroid surface. Scientists believe that these rovers will help search for clues of the origins of the Solar System. “I am so proud that we have established a new method of space exploration for small celestial bodies,” said JAXA project manager Yuichi Tsuda.