Yes, the Hayabusa mission's sample container captured some tiny dust particles. No, we still don't know whether those particles are the first bits of an asteroid ever returned to Earth by a spacecraft. Scientists from Japan's space agency, JAXA, have slowly and cautiously been prying open Hayabusa's container. They have released photos that show particles trapped in there, none of which are larger than a millimeter, but at least 10 of which are visible to the naked eye. However, it may take months to know whether those came from the Itokawa asteroid that Hayabusa visited, or somewhere else.
Hayabusa project manager Junichiro Kawaguchi said scientists believed materials from Earth were among the particles found in the pod. "But it's important that it wasn't empty... I'm glad that there is the possibility" that some are from the asteroid, Kawaguchi told a press briefing [AFP].
The tension is high for the project ...
