Today, June 30, is Asteroid Day. On this UN designated day, events are held globally to educate the public and to raise awareness about asteroids, and about the science of defending our planet from future asteroid impacts. June 30 marks the date of Earth’s largest asteroid impact in recorded history, the Siberia Tunguska event, in 1908.
Replying to @AkaSci@fosstodon.org
Remember Hayabusa2, the plucky JAXA spacecraft that visited asteroid Ryugu in June 2018, scooped up some rock samples and returned them to Earth in December 2020?
It's still out there. It will fly by asteroid Torifune on Sunday July 5, at a relative speed of 5 km/s and a closest distance of 1 km. The data from this flyby will help accurately guide probes to impact and deflect small asteroids in future.
In 2031, Hayabusa2 will rendezvous with asteroid 1998 KY26.
