japan

Most Read

Top stories

A Japanese Spacecraft Just Fired a Bullet Into an Asteroid After Landing On It, and Welcome to 2019
Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Around 6 pm on Thursday night, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 touched down on Ryugu—a distant asteroid.

The craft wasn't there to make friends, something it promptly proved by firing a bullet into the asteroid. The goal, according to officials at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is for Hayabusa 2 to collect debris from the asteroid to bring back to Earth for testing.

Keep reading...Show less