(ORDO NEWS) — Three international research teams studying gas samples delivered by the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu have published their results.
The first group studied volatile sources and the recent evolution of the asteroid’s surface. The second considered his nucleosynthetic heritage.
And the third group provided an overview of the types of gases that were delivered.
The first team published their results in the journal Science, while the second and third group’s studies were published in the journal Science Advances.
The first team found that the asteroid contains noble gases and isotopes from the early days of the solar system, and its nitrogen composition is similar to that of Ivuna-type carbonaceous chondrites.
They also found evidence that one of the noble gases appeared on Ryugu due to the solar wind, and the other – as a result of exposure to galactic cosmic rays.
They also found a close relationship between CI chondrites and Ryugu gas.
The second group found that some of the Ryugu samples had Fe isotopic irregularities that were the same as those found in other Ivuna-type (CI) chondrites.
The researchers also found iron isotopes that must have formed in places where there were no carbonaceous asteroids.
And this, the scientists note, suggests that Ryugu may have come from more distant parts of the solar system than thought.
The third team identified all the gases that were delivered and measured the amount of each. Scientists have also noted their extraterrestrial origin.
They found that some of the captured helium came from the solar wind and some leaked out of the Earth’s atmosphere.
In conclusion, they reaffirm the fact that the gases collected by the project represent the first gases from a near-Earth asteroid.
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