Space dust reveals Earth-killer asteroids would be tough to destroy
An asteroid named Itokawa that's been identified as potentially hazardous to Earth would be difficult to destroy, according to new research analyzing dust particles collected from the ancient rock.
Measuring 330 metres across, Itokawa is the first-ever asteroid to be sampled in a space mission. Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency launched its Hayabusa 1 probe in 2003 to study Itokawa, and managed toNow, an international team of researchers led by Curtin University, Australia, has studied three dust particles from the sample to estimate Itokawa's age and disposition. Argon dating revealed the asteroid is older than 4.
"Unlike monolithic asteroids, Itokawa is not a single lump of rock, but belongs to the rubble pile family which means it's entirely made of loose boulders and rocks, with almost half of it being empty space," Fred Jourdan, lead author of the research
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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