Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft blasts asteroid Ryugu in search of answers to the 'Big Bang Theory'

Atari developed Asteroids - the famous Arcade game - in 1979 in which the player scored points by blasting asteroids. Something similar was done on Friday by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft, and the prize - discovering how life came developed on Earth.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft, used specifically for asteroid mining, shot a copper projectile loaded with explosives towards the tiny asteroid named Ryugu while it was hovering 500m above it. Hayabusa2 had arrived on Ryugu on June 27, 2018, after traveling for over three-and-a-half years.

The images of the blast were shared by the spacecraft's twitter handle:

Although scientists are awaiting confirmation, the images shared by the Twitter account suggest that the mission was a success. The projectile had reached 3.5m above Ryugu's rocky surface and exploded, sending debris flying into the asteroid's orbit and creating a fresh crater on the asteroid. The Hayabusa2 which had manoeuvred around to the other side of the asteroid, will collect asteroid dust samples and return to Earth starting its journey in November 2019.

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Since it arrived at Ryugu, Hayabusa2 has dropped two hopping landers, collectively known as MINERVA -II to take pictures and measure the asteroid's temperature. The explosion which took place on Friday was aimed to probe the surface underneath Ryugu and toss up dust particles that have not been exposed to cosmic radiation for billions of years. The effect of the radiation on these particles would then be further studied.

Ryugu which spans less than a kilometre in diameter is a relic from the 'Big Bang' which resulted in the formation of our solar system. Studying the material that makes it as pure a form as possible, could help us learn about the make-up of early planets and sort out how water and other materials, crucial for life, came to Earth.

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