TOKYO (AP) - A small capsule containing asteroid soil samples dropped from 136,700 miles (220,000 kilometers) into space by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft landed at the Australian Outback on Sunday as planned. After preliminary examination, it will fly to Japan for research. The extremely high precision required to accomplish the task excited many in Japan who said they were proud of its success. Yuichi Tsuda, project manager from the Japan Aerospace Research Agency, called the capsule a "treasure box." The AP explains the importance of the project and what will happen next.


WHAT IS HAYABUSA2 MISSION?


The unmanned Hayabusa2 spacecraft, launched on December 3, 2014, landed twice on the asteroid Ryugu, 300 million kilometers (190 million miles) from Earth. The extremely rocky surface of the asteroid forced the mission team to revise landing plans, but the spacecraft successfully collected data and soil samples during its 1½ year near Ryugu after arriving there in June 2018.


The spacecraft collected surface dust samples at its first landing in February 2019, similar to NASA's last touch and go method on the asteroid Bennu by Osiris REx. Hayabusa2 then detonated a crater at the surface of the asteroid and then collected underground samples from the asteroid for the first time in space history. In late 2019, Hayabusa2 left Ryugu. The year-long journey ended on Sunday.


Japan hopes to use the expertise and technology used in the Hayabusa2 in the future, perhaps to a Martian moon in the 2024 MMX sample-return mission.


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WHY ASTEROID?


Asteroids orbit the sun, but they are much smaller than planets. They are one of the oldest objects in the solar system and therefore can contain clues as to how Earth evolved. Scientists say it requires studying samples of such celestial bodies.


In Japanese, Ryugu means "Dragon Palace", the name of a castle on the sea bottom in a Japanese folk tale.


Hitoshi Kuninaka, vice president of JAXA, said Japan's asteroid research could also contribute to fundraising and finding ways to protect Earth from collisions with large meteorites.


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WHAT'S INSIDE THE CAPSULE?


The pan-shaped capsule, about 40 centimeters (15 inches) in diameter, contains soil samples taken from two different sites on the asteroid. Some gases may also be buried in the samples. The preliminary examination in a laboratory in Australia was to extract and analyze the gas. The capsule will return to Japan on Tuesday. It will be taken to JAXA's research center in Sagamihara, near Tokyo.


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WHAT CAN ASTEROID SAMPLES TELL US?


Scientists say that samples taken from below the asteroid surface, in particular, contain data from 4.6 billion years ago without being affected by space radiation and other environmental factors. They are particularly interested in studying organic materials in examples to learn how they are distributed in the solar system and how they relate to life on Earth. JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa said he believes the analysis of the samples can help explain the origins of the solar system and how water helped bring life to Earth. Pieces brought back from Ryugu can also tell about its collision and its thermal history.


About a year later, some samples will be shared with NASA and other international scientists. About 40% of these will be preserved for future research. JAXA task manager Makoto Yoshikawa said that just 0.1 grams of sample might be enough to carry out the planned research, but more would be better.


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HAYABUSA WHY IS A BIG BARGAIN FOR JAPAN?


Hayabusa2 is the successor to the original Hayabusa mission that Japan launched in 2003. After a series of technical glitches, he returned samples from another asteroid, Itokawa, in 2010. The spacecraft burned down during an unsuccessful re-entry, but the capsule was made to Earth.


Many Japanese were struck by the return of the first Hayabusa spaceship, and this was considered a miracle given all the troubles it faced. JAXA's subsequent Venus and Mars missions were also flawed. Tsuda said the Hayabusa2 team used all the hard lessons learned from previous missions to achieve a 100 times better result than the "perfect" result. While the capsule successfully entered the atmosphere and turned into a fireball for a short time, some members of the public watching the event shed tears.


WHAT'S NEXT?


About an hour after leaving the capsule 220,000 kilometers (136,700 miles) from Earth, Hayabusa2 was sent on another mission to the smaller asteroid, 1998KY26. This one-way journey is 11 years. Mission examine possible ways to prevent large meteorites from colliding with Earth