A Japanese space probe made history today when it landed on the surface of an asteroid.
The probe, called Hayabusa - Japanese for "falcon" - succeeded in the delicate task which scientists have likened to landing a jumbo jet in a moving Grand Canyon. It was its second and final attempt.
After analyzing data transmitted from the unmanned probe, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said Hayabusa had touched down on the asteroid, nearly 300 million km from Earth.
The probe then shot a 5-gramme metal ball toward the surface at a speed of 1,080 kph, collecting into a capsule the debris unleashed as a result of the impact, JAXA officials said.
The United States and the former Soviet Union have brought back samples from the Moon in the past, but it is the first time that surface material from an asteroid has been collected.
Asteroids are believed to contain rocks that have remained largely unchanged since the early days of the solar system and could thus offer valuable information about its origins.
Information about their structure could also be vital if an asteroid were found to be on a collision course with the earth.
The asteroid is named after pioneering Japanese rocket scientist Hideo Itokawa.