NASA Shares Bennu Samples With Japan's Space Agency

Inauguration of sample exchange in JAXA (photo: dock. NASA)

NASA has submitted part of the Bennu sample they collected to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The sample was given directly in Japan on August 22. In its latest report, NASA said that Bennu's sample submission was part of an agreement agreed several years ago. NASA and JAXA agreed to exchange samples so that the two institutions could carry out scientific research. JAXA provided part of the sample of the asteroid Ryugu in November 2021. The sample was taken using a spacecraft named Hayabusa 2. However, the number of samples that JAXA provided was far less than NASA. NASA submitted 0.66 grams of Bennu samples or equivalent to 0.55 percent of the total sample mass, while JAXA provided 23 millimeter-sized grains. Although the number of samples given was different, both of them could conduct research.

"We appreciate our continued collaboration with JAXA in the asteroid sample return mission to increase our scientific results and reduce the risk on this mission," saidvillage. "JAXA has extensive curation capabilities, and we look forward to what we will learn from the joint analysis." Meanwhile, JAXA who received the sample said that Bennu was one of the valuable asteroid samples. Therefore, curators at JAXA will keep the sample in a clean room very well. "Thank you for bringing the valuable asteroid sample from Bennu to Earth and then to Japan safely. As fellow curators, we understand the tension and responsibility that accompanies these tasks," said Astromaterial Science Research Group Manager of the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronautika JAXA Tomohiro Usui.