Hayabusa2 space probe project team given prime minister's award

The Hayabusa2 space probe project team received the prime minister's award Thursday after successfully bringing home soil and gas samples from a distant asteroid for research into the origins of life and the evolution of the solar system.The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's team was recognized for "achieving a slew of world's firsts," including the space probe's two landings on the asteroid Ryugu and "contributing to the promotion of science," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in giving the award.On Dec. 6, Hayabusa2 dropped over an Australian desert a small capsule containing "a subst…READ FULL ARTICLE