---
title: "Scientist Left “Speechless” After Opening Asteroid Samples"
description: "Scientists at Japan's space agency were left speechless upon opening asteroid samples collected by spacecraft Hayabusa-2."
date: "2020-12-15"
modified: "2020-12-15"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientist-speechless-opening-hayabusa-2-asteroid-samples"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "hayabusa-2"
  - "JAXA"
  - "ryugu"
  - "the digest"
---

# Scientist Left “Speechless” After Opening Asteroid Samples

![Scientists at Japan's space agency were left speechless upon opening asteroid samples collected by spacecraft Hayabusa-2.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/scientist-speechless-opening-hayabusa-2-asteroid-samples.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: JAXA\</em\>*

## Speechless

In February 2019, Japan's Hayabusa-2 space probe pulled off an incredible feat. The small spacecraft [managed to collect](<https://futurism.com/ryugu-asteroid-hayabusa2-shoot>) surface dust from asteroid Ryugu, hundreds of millions of miles from Earth.

Earlier this month, the spacecraft [dropped off a special package](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/japanese-spacecraft-returns-earth-asteroid-samples>) in South Australia: a tiny capsule with traces of the asteroid's dust inside.

Scientists from Japan's space agency JAXA opened the container on Tuesday and were left impressed with the contents.

"When we actually opened it, I was speechless," JAXA scientist Hirotaka Sawada said, as [quoted by *The Guardian*](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/15/asteroid-samples-leave-japanese-scientists-speechless>). "It was more than we expected and there was so much that I was truly impressed."

## Fine Powder

The quality of the sample was outstanding.

"It wasn’t fine particles like powder, but there were plenty of samples that measured several millimeters across," Sawada added, according to *The Guardian*.

## Organic Matter

The sample could even have implications for research into the origins of life.

Most excitingly, scientists found that the samples seemingly "contain plenty of organic matter," as Hayabusa project scientist Seiichiro Watanabe said, according to *The Guardian*. "So I hope we can find out many things about how organic substances have developed on the parent body of Ryugu."

Half of the samples collected by the spacecraft will go to NASA and other international organizations.

Hayabusa-2 will now go on to visit two more asteroids before retirement. In 2026, the craft is planning a high-speed flyby past asteroid 1998 KY 26.

**READ MORE:** [Asteroid samples leaves Japanese scientist 'speechless'](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/15/asteroid-samples-leave-japanese-scientists-speechless>) \[*The Guardian*\]

**More on the mission:** *[Japanese Spacecraft Returns Asteroid Samples to Earth](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/japanese-spacecraft-returns-earth-asteroid-samples>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)