Genesis (spacecraft)Genesis was a NASAsample-return probe that collected a sample of solar wind particles and returned them to Earth for analysis. It was the first NASA sample-return mission to return material since the Apollo program, and the first to return material from beyond the orbit of the Moon. Genesis was launched on August 8, 2001, and the sample return capsule crash-landed in Utah on September 8, 2004, after a design flaw prevented the deployment of its drogue parachute.
Moon rockMoon rock or lunar rock is rock originating from Earth's Moon. This includes lunar material collected during the course of human exploration of the Moon, and rock that has been ejected naturally from the Moon's surface and landed on Earth as lunar meteorites.
Lunar meteoriteA lunar meteorite is a meteorite that is known to have originated on the Moon. A meteorite hitting the Moon is normally classified as a transient lunar phenomenon. DiscoveryIn January 1982, John Schutt, leading an expedition in Antarctica for the ANSMET program, found a meteorite that he recognized to be unusual.
25143 Itokawa25143 Itokawa (provisional designation 1998 SF36) is a sub-kilometer near-Earth object of the Apollo group and also a potentially hazardous asteroid. It was discovered by the LINEAR program in 1998 and later named after Japanese rocket engineer Hideo Itokawa. The peanut-shaped S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 12.1 hours and measures approximately 330 meters (1,100 feet) in diameter.
101955 BennuCarbonaceous Apollo asteroidSpectral typeBFAbsolute magnitude (H)20.9101955 Bennu (provisional designation1999 RQ36) is a carbonaceous asteroid in the Apollo group, discovered by the LINEAR Project on 11 September 1999. It is a potentially hazardous object that is listed on the Sentry Risk Table and has the second highest cumulative rating on the Palermo scale.
Solar windStream of charged particles from the SunArtist's impression of solar wind flow around Earth's magnetosphereSolar wind observed by the Parker Solar Probe, 2018The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer, the corona. This plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy between 0.5 and 10 keV.
MoonNatural satellite orbiting EarthSurface absorbed doserate13.2 μGy/h(during lunar daytime)Surface equivalent doserate57.0 μSv/h(during lunar daytime)Apparent magnitude−2.5 to −12.9−12.74 (mean full moon)Absolute magnitude (H)0.2Angular diameter29.3 to 34.1 arcminutesAtmosphereSurface pressure10 Pa (1 picobar) (day)10 Pa (1 femtobar) (night)Composition by volumeHeArNeNaKHThe Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth.
162173 Ryugu162173 Ryugu (provisional designation1999 JU3) is a near-Earth object and also a potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. It measures approximately 900 metres (3,000 ft) in diameter and is a dark object of the rare spectral type Cb, with qualities of both a C-type asteroid and a B-type asteroid. In June 2018, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 arrived at the asteroid.
MarsFourth planet from the SunSurface absorbed doserate8.8 μGy/hSurface equivalent doserate27 μSv/hApparent magnitude−2.94 to +1.86Absolute magnitude (H)−1.5Angular diameter3.5–25.1 arcsecondsAtmosphereSurface pressure0.636 (0.4–0.87) kPa0.00628 atmComposition by volume95.97% carbon dioxide1.93% argon1.89% nitrogen0.146% oxygen0.0557% carbon monoxide0.0210% water vaporMars is the fourth planet from the Sun.
SpacecraftA spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, planetary exploration, and transportation of humans and cargo. All spacecraft except single-stage-to-orbit vehicles cannot get into space on their own, and require a launch vehicle (carrier rocket).
Martian meteoriteA Martian meteorite is a rock that formed on Mars, was ejected from the planet by an impact event, and traversed interplanetary space before landing on Earth as a meteorite. As of September 2020, 277 meteorites had been classified as Martian, less than half a percent of the 72,000 meteorites that have been classified. There are three groups of Martian meteorite: shergottites, nakhlites and chassignites, collectively known as SNC meteorites.
81P/WildComet 81P/Wild, also known as Wild 2 (pronounced "vilt two") ( ), is a comet with a period of 6.4 years named after Swiss astronomer Paul Wild, who discovered it on January 6, 1978, using a 40-cm Schmidt telescope at Zimmerwald, Switzerland. For most of its 4.5 billion-year lifetime, Wild 2 probably had a more distant and circular orbit.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.