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Japanese Rovers Land on Asteroid!
By Lora Snow
September 22, 2018
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully landed two rovers on the Ryugo asteroid. This is the first time two mobile rovers have landed on an asteroid.
The rovers, MINERVA-111A and MINERVA 111B, were dropped about 180 feet (55 meters) onto the surface of Ryugo by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft on Sept. 21 as part of the Hayabusa2 mission. The rovers are operating and have sent images and data back to earth.
This photograph was taken by MINERVA-111A immediately after separating from the spacecraft. It is blurry because the rover was rotating while it took the picture. Credit: JAXA.
The MINERVA rovers do not have wheels. So how do they get around? They hop. Their designers intend for them to be able to hop about fifty feet (fifteen meters) horizontally. Since Ryugu’s gravity is week, it may take the rovers about fifteen minutes to land. however.
MINERVA-II stands for Micro Nano Experimental Robot Vehicle for Asteroid, second generation. The first-generation MINERVA rover was taken by the original Hayabusa spacecraft into an orbit around the asteroid Itokawa in September 2005.
The spacecraft attempted to drop the rover on the asteroid, but released at a higher altitude than intended. As a result, MINERVA escaped Itokawa’s gravitational pull and tumbled into space.
The Hayabusa spacecraft did land successfully on the asteroid, however, and carried samples from the asteroid back to earth.
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