Japan's Hayabusa 2 space probe (read more about Hayabusa and Hayabusa 2) will finally start mining Ryugu sometime on February 22, according to JAXA.
The new date follows a previous delay that saw the landing pushed from October to January as JAXA struggled to find a smooth spot to touchdown due to the ruggedness of the asteroid's surface. "The landing point is decided and how we're going to land is confirmed, so we want to do our best to achieve this without making mistakes," said JAXA project manager Yuichi Tsuda (per Phys.org).
Dotted between Earth and Mars, Ryugu's chemical composition is comprised of nickel, iron, cobalt, water, nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia -- making it a prime target for scientists seeking to unlock the mysteries of the universe. Barring any more setbacks, Hayabusa 2 has until December to scoop up samples to bring back to Earth.
Science fiction fans will fondly remember the very early descriptions of asteroid mining from Edison's Conquest of Mars, by Garrett P. Serviss in 1898.
Be sure to keep up with other asteroid mining adventures:
Tumblin' Tumbleweed Rovers To Eplore Mars
'His sensors out and working, and the whirring of the tape that sucked up sight and sound and shape and smell and form...' - Clifford Simak,
Reflect Orbital Sunlight On Demand
'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors that circulate around the satellite, making it habitable.'
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
DIY Robot Scorpion Crushes It
'...it raised its front end off the ground and waved its antennae at them, then raised one armoured claw as if to snip them out of the sky.'