First, it must embark on a scavenger hunt in the Australian outback. This weekend, fragments of an asteroid will touch down in a desolate area near Woomera, South Australia. These pieces are being transported to Earth by Hayabusa2, a robotic space probe sent into space by Japan's space agency, JAXA, in 2014 to study an asteroid called Ryugu. This asteroid is a dark, carbon-rich rock that is slightly over half a mile wide. The success of this mission and the scientific discoveries it yields will enhance Japan's reputation as a key player in deep space exploration, alongside NASA, the European Space Agency, and Russia. Additionally, JAXA currently has a spacecraft orbiting Venus to study its harsh climate and is working with European partners on a mission to Mercury. In the near future, Japan is planning to retrieve rocks from Phobos, a moon of Mars, and support NASA's Artemis program to send astronauts to the moon. The main challenge at the moment is locating a small capsule containing asteroid samples in the dark, amidst a vast area 280 miles north of Adelaide. Shogo Tachibana, the lead investigator overseeing the analysis of the Hayabusa2 samples, described the location as remote and isolated, with over 70 Japanese team members currently in Woomera for the capsule recovery mission. The area, previously used by the Australian military for testing, offers a spacious and ideal environment for the return of the interplanetary probe. The return capsule detached from the main spacecraft 12 hours prior to its scheduled landing, approximately 125,000 miles away from Earth. JAXA will be live broadcasting the capsule's landing starting at 11:30 am Eastern time on Saturday (pre-dawn hours on Sunday in Australia), with the capsule expected to touch down shortly before noon. Mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa mentioned in an interview that there is a margin of error of about 10 kilometers (6 miles) in predicting the capsule's reentry point into the atmosphere. Once the capsule reaches an altitude of 6 miles, it will deploy a parachute, and its drift during descent will further contribute to the uncertainty. Yoshikawa explained that the location of the landing site will be determined by the wind conditions on the day of reentry. The search area could potentially span up to 60 miles. The recovery team will be aided in their search by following the trail of superheated air created by the reentering capsule and using the capsule's radio beacon. However, if the beacon or parachute fails, the task will become significantly more challenging. Time is also of the essence in this situation. The team's goal is to retrieve the capsule, conduct an initial analysis, and transport it back to Japan within 100 hours. Despite being sealed, there is concern that Earth's air may gradually seep in. Tachibana mentioned that perfect sealing is impossible. Once located, a helicopter will transport the capsule to a laboratory at the Australian air force base in Woomera. At the laboratory, an instrument will remove any gases that may have been released by the asteroid rocks during reentry. Yoshikawa mentioned that the scientists are interested in finding any helium particles from solar wind that may have impacted the asteroid and are now trapped in the rocks. These gases will confirm that Hayabusa2 effectively gathered samples from Ryugu. A minimum of 0.1 grams is required to confirm success, but it is hoped that the spacecraft has brought back several grams of samples. The Hayabusa2 team in Japan will now start analyzing the samples from Ryugu. In around a year, some of the samples will be shared with other scientists for further study after being collected by Hayabusa2, which arrived at the asteroid in June 2018. The spacecraft conducted a series of investigations of increasing technical difficulty, including dropping probes onto Ryugu's surface, creating a hole in the asteroid to examine its interior, and making two trips to collect small pieces of the asteroid. This task was more difficult than anticipated due to the numerous boulders on the asteroid's surface. Masaki Fujimoto, deputy director general of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, noted that small celestial bodies like Ryugu were once overlooked by planetary scientists focused on studying planets. He stated that minor bodies may not seem important, but they are crucial for understanding the formation of planetary systems. By studying water trapped in minerals from Ryugu, scientists could determine if Earth's oceans were formed from asteroids and if carbon-based molecules played a role in seeding life's building blocks. NASA will receive part of the Ryugu samples, as they are also collecting rocks and soil from the asteroid Bennu with the OSIRIS-Rex mission. The OSIRIS-Rex space probe has been studying Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid, and will return to Earth next spring to deliver its samples in September 2023. Despite similarities in appearance, Ryugu and Bennu have distinct characteristics. The rocks on Ryugu seem to have less water compared to other rocks. The significance of these similarities and differences will only be understood after further detailed study by scientists. Harold Connolly, a geology professor at Rowan University in New Jersey and the mission sample scientist for OSIRIS-Rex, mentioned that lessons learned from the Hayabusa2 mission will be helpful when the OSIRIS-Rex sample returns. He finds the similarities and differences intriguing and plans to participate in analyzing the Ryugu samples in Japan next summer. Hayabusa2 is not Japan's inaugural planetary mission. The name of the mission, Hayabusa2, is a reference to an earlier mission called Hayabusa that successfully brought back samples from the asteroid Itokawa. Other Japanese missions, such as Akatsuki orbiting Venus and a mission to Mars, have faced technical challenges, but Hayabusa2 has been largely successful despite sharing a similar design with its predecessor. Yoshikawa, the mission manager, stated that there are no major issues with the mission, just some minor ones. He mentioned that the team carefully analyzed the failures of Hayabusa and made necessary changes, as well as conducted numerous rehearsals to prepare for any potential challenges. Japanese missions typically have smaller budgets than NASA's, resulting in fewer instruments being carried. The cost of Hayabusa2 is under $300 million, while OSIRIS-Rex's cost is around $1 billion. Delivering the Ryugu samples is not the conclusion of the Hayabusa2 mission. After detaching the return capsule, the main spacecraft altered its course to avoid a potential collision with Earth, narrowly missing by a distance of 125 miles. The spacecraft will now head towards another asteroid, a small one called 1998 KY26, which measures only 100 feet in diameter and spins rapidly, completing a rotation in less than 11 minutes. To reach KY26, Hayabusa2 will utilize two flybys of Earth before reaching its destination in 2031. Along the way, the spacecraft will conduct various astronomical experiments during its extended journey through deep space. Additionally, the spacecraft still contains one last projectile that it may use to test the surface of the asteroid.