May 092024
Hayabusa
Hayabusa was launched in 2003. The unmanned Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) was launched from a Japanese space center on to collect samples of Near-Earth Asteroid 25143 Itokawa. It landed on the asteroid on November 19, 2005. It collected samples of the asteroid and successfully brought those samples back. The samples reveal that the asteroid is more like a meteorite than an earth rock. Hayabusa returned to earth on June 13, 2010. Children can learn more at: Hayabusa.