20.02.2021

JAXA

NHK has learned that a capsule used to bring back asteroid samples to Earth will be on display in March at a museum in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.

The Hayabusa2 capsule returned to Earth in December from the asteroid Ryugu after collecting earth samples there. The samples collected in the capsule are being analyzed at a laboratory of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The capsule, which traveled through space for a distance of around 5 billion kilometers, will be shown to the public for the first time at the Sagamihara City Museum for five days between March 12 and 16. The museum is located next to the JAXA facility.

Admission is free. As anti-infection measures amid the spread of the coronavirus, each visitor will be assigned to a 40-minute time frame and a maximum of 150 people will be allowed in at one time.

Advance booking is required. If there are too many applications, entrants will be chosen by lottery.

Museum officials say the exhibition could be canceled if the state of emergency currently in place for some areas, including Kanagawa, is extended.

Quelle: NHK