Japan's Commander Marvin claims Planet Ryugu!!~

[Taro Toporific]

Commander Marvin of the Hayabusa2 claims Planet Ryugu

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Japanese Spacecraft Successfully Snags Sample of Asteroid Ryugu
Space.com | 2019-02-22T02:41:50Z
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully nabbed bits of the 3,000-foot-wide (900 meters) asteroid Ryugu today (Feb. 21; Feb. 22 Japan time), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officials announced.
As Hayabusa2 spiraled down to Ryugu's surface, Commander Marvin fired a 0.2-ounce (5 grams)* tantalum "bullet" into the boulder-strewn rock at close range, and collected pieces of the ejected material using its specialized "sampling horn," JAXA officials said during a press conference this evening...more...

*A 9mm bullet weighs 7.45 grams.

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JAXA ---Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft captured this photo during its sample-grabbing descent toward the asteroid Ryugu on Feb. 21, 2019. The probe's shadow is visible on the space rock's surface.

[Taro Toporific]

Commander Marvin of the Hayabusa2 claims Planet Ryugu

...The asteroid, named after an undersea palace in a Japanese folktale... Ryugu means "Dragon Palace" in Japanese and refers to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient Japanese tale...more...
Japanese probe touches down on asteroid in hunt for clues about origin of life
telegraph.co.uk | 2019/02/22

Ryugu-jo (竜宮城) Wikipedia--- "Dragon palace castle") is the undersea palace of Ryūjin, the dragon kami of the sea. Depending on the version of the legend, it is built from red and white coral, or from solid crystal. The inhabitants of the palace were Ryūjin's families and servants, who were denizens of the sea. In some legends, on each of the four sides of the palace it is a different season, and one day in the palace is equal to a century outside its boundaries.

[Taro Toporific]

Ryugu-jo (竜宮城) Wikipedia--- "Dragon palace castle")

First photos of Planet Ryugu were shown at this afternoon's JAXA press conference ---be sure to start watching at the 45:59 point---or get bored to death.

More boring video of JAXA's "landing" today: Fast-forward to the 21:26 point.