However, before it can proceed, it must participate in a scavenger hunt in the Australian outback. This weekend, fragments of an asteroid will touch down in a desolate area close to Woomera, South Australia. These fragments are being transported to Earth by Hayabusa2, a robotic spacecraft sent into space by JAXA, Japan's space agency, in 2014 to investigate an asteroid called Ryugu, which is a dark, carbon-rich rock slightly over half a mile in width. The success of this mission and the scientific data it generates will enhance Japan's reputation as a key player in deep space exploration, alongside NASA, the European Space Agency, and Russia. JAXA currently has a spacecraft orbiting Venus to study the planet's harsh climate and is working with the Europeans on a mission headed towards Mercury. In the future, Japan plans to retrieve rocks from Phobos, one of Mars' moons, and support NASA's Artemis program to send astronauts to the moon. However, the immediate challenge will be locating a small capsule containing asteroid samples in the dark, spread out over hundreds of square miles in a remote region 280 miles north of Adelaide. Shogo Tachibana, the lead investigator analyzing the Hayabusa2 samples, described the area as isolated and difficult to access. A team of over 70 people from Japan has gathered in Woomera for the capsule recovery operation, taking advantage of the vast open space provided by the Australian military testing grounds. The return capsule, which separated from the main spacecraft 12 hours prior to landing, was approximately 125,000 miles away from Earth. JAXA plans to broadcast the capsule's landing live at 11:30 am Eastern time on Saturday (pre-dawn hours on Sunday in Australia). The capsule is expected to touch down shortly before noon. Makoto Yoshikawa, the mission manager, mentioned in an interview that there is a margin of error of about 10 kilometres (approximately 6 miles) in predicting where the capsule will reenter 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 stated that the landing location is determined by the wind conditions on the day of reentry. The search area could potentially span 60 miles. The path of the superheated air from the reentering capsule and the radio beacon will assist the recovery team. However, the mission will be significantly more challenging if the beacon or parachute malfunctions. Additionally, there is a sense of urgency surrounding the operation. The team's goal is to retrieve the capsule, conduct an initial analysis, and transport it back to Japan within 100 hours. Despite the capsule being sealed, there is concern about Earth air seeping in slowly. Tachibana mentioned that there is no perfect seal. Once the capsule is located, it will be airlifted by a helicopter to a laboratory established at the Australian air force base in Woomera. At the lab, 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 detecting any helium particles from solar wind that may have struck the asteroid and become trapped in the rocks. The presence of these gases would confirm that Hayabusa2 effectively gathered samples from Ryugu, with at least 0.1 grams required for a successful mission. The team is optimistic that the spacecraft retrieved several grams of samples and will start analyzing them in Japan. In approximately one year, some of the samples collected by Hayabusa2 will be shared with other scientists for further research. The spacecraft arrived at the asteroid in June 2018 and conducted a series of increasingly complex investigations. This included dropping probes onto the surface of Ryugu, creating a hole in the asteroid to study its interior, and making two descents to collect small pieces of the asteroid. This task proved to be more difficult than anticipated due to the large number of boulders on the surface. Masaki Fujimoto, deputy director general of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, noted that small celestial bodies like Ryugu were previously overlooked by planetary scientists focused on studying planets. He mentioned that minor bodies may not seem important, but they are crucial for understanding planetary systems. By studying water trapped in minerals from Ryugu, scientists may learn if Earth's ocean water came from asteroids and if carbon-based molecules helped form the building blocks for life. NASA will receive part of the Ryugu samples, in addition to rocks and soil from another asteroid collected by the OSIRIS-Rex mission. This space probe has been studying a carbon-rich asteroid named Bennu and will return to Earth next spring, delivering its samples in September 2023. Despite similarities, Ryugu and Bennu have differences in appearance and surface characteristics. The rocks on Ryugu seem to have less water compared to others. The significance of these similarities and differences will only be understood once scientists conduct a more detailed study of the rocks. Harold Connolly, a geology professor at Rowan University, mentioned that lessons learned from the Hayabusa2 mission will be helpful in analyzing the OSIRIS-Rex sample. He finds the similarities and differences between the two missions intriguing. Connolly plans to travel to Japan next summer to participate in the analysis of the Ryugu samples. Hayabusa2 is not Japan's initial planetary mission. The name of the mission, Hayabusa2, suggests a connection to a previous mission that collected samples from the asteroid Itokawa. However, the earlier mission faced technical challenges. JAXA's Akatsuki spacecraft, currently orbiting Venus, also had difficulties but was eventually restored to a scientific mission. In contrast, a Japanese mission to Mars in 2003 failed. Despite sharing a similar design to its predecessor, Hayabusa2 has experienced almost flawless operations. Yoshikawa, the mission manager, stated that there are no major issues, only minor ones. He mentioned that the team thoroughly analyzed the failures of Hayabusa and made necessary changes, as well as conducted multiple rehearsals to prepare for any potential challenges. Compared to NASA missions, Japanese missions typically have smaller budgets and fewer instruments. Hayabusa2's cost is under $300 million, while OSIRIS-Rex's price tag is around $1 billion. Delivering the Ryugu samples is not the conclusion of the Hayabusa2 mission. After the return capsule was released, the main spacecraft changed course to avoid a collision with Earth, narrowly missing by 125 miles. It is now heading towards another asteroid, a small one known as 1998 KY26, which is only 100 feet in diameter but rotates quickly, completing one rotation in less than 11 minutes. Hayabusa2 will use two flybys of Earth to propel itself towards KY26, with an expected arrival in 2031. Along the way, the spacecraft will conduct various astronomical experiments, and it still has one last projectile that could be used to test the surface of the asteroid.