Robotic explorers released from Hayabusa2 toward asteroid

Two small robotic explorers were released Friday from Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 toward an asteroid named Ryugu roughly 300 million kilometers from Earth.The rovers are expected to land on the asteroid to capture images and measure surface temperatures ahead of the main explorer's touchdown, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.The attempt follows a failed landing of an explorer robot 13 years ago when the Japanese space agency surveyed the Itokawa asteroid.The rovers are two of three robotic explorers that make up the Minerva II robot vehicle installed on Hayabusa2. Each hexadec…READ FULL ARTICLE