Planetary scientists at the University of 麻豆传媒 at Mānoa are studying samples of the , returned to Earth by the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft flown by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Ryugu is an ancient fragment of a larger asteroid that formed in the cloud of gas and dust that spawned our solar system. It is an intriguing type of asteroid that is rich in carbon, which is an element essential to life.
Hope Ishii, Elena Dobrica, John Bradley and Kenta Ohtaki, researchers at the (HIGP) in UH 惭ā苍辞补’蝉 , have already begun to analyze the treasured sample here in 麻豆传媒. Their (AEMC) in HIGP is home to a specialized scientific instrument called a transmission electron microscope which is capable of identifying minerals and the crystal structure in the sample at an incredible level of detail.
Scientists at the at HIGP have also been working on Ryugu samples. Researcher Kazuhide Nagashima, who is a deputy leader of the group that is making in situ, micron-scale analyses of the grains for their chemical and isotopic compositions, traveled to Japan to make the measurements. Nagashima and HIGP’s Keck Lab researchers Gary Huss and Alexander Krot will be receiving additional samples and analyzing them in their laboratory early next year using the secondary ion mass spectrometer.
“In addition to our long-standing collaborations with researchers in Japan, I believe we were invited to participate as members of the initial analysis team for the Ryugu sample because of international recognition of the expertise we have in transmission electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometer analyses of extraterrestrial samples here at UH,” said Ishii, researcher and director of AEMC.
Combined, the analyses conducted by scientists at UH Mānoa and around the world will provide clues about the origin of the ancient substances contained in these rare samples.
This effort is an example of UH 惭ā苍辞补’蝉 goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.
–By Marcie Grabowski