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On November 19, 2005, the Japanese Hayabusa (HI-uh-BOOS-uh) spacecraft made the first liftoff from an asteroid.

Hayabusa was supposed to return asteroid samples to Earth. Asteroids are space rocks that were formed during the early solar system. We study asteroids to learn more about the solar system’s history. Hayabusa made two touchdowns on asteroid Itokawa (EE -toh-KA-wah). Each time, the spacecraft went into safe mode. Controllers weren't sur e if Hayabusa gathered any material. But they sent the spacecraft back to Earth anyway. Hayabusa unexpectedly broke up in Earth's atmosphere. Luckily, the sample return capsule survived. Scientists found dust of Itokawa inside the capsule. Hayabusa spurred the creation of another sample-return mission. The new spacecraft is called Hayabusa2. It arrived at asteroid Ryugu (REE-ooh-goo) in 2018.

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Transcript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03On November 19th, 2005, the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft made the first liftoff from an asteroid.
00:09Hayabusa was supposed to return asteroid samples to Earth.
00:13Asteroids are space rocks that were formed during the early solar system.
00:17We study asteroids to learn more about the solar system's history.
00:20Hayabusa made two touchdowns on asteroid Itokawa.
00:23Each time, the spacecraft went into safe mode.
00:27Controllers weren't sure if Hayabusa gathered any material.
00:30But they sent the spacecraft back to Earth anyway.
00:33Hayabusa unexpectedly broke up in Earth's atmosphere.
00:36Luckily, the sample return capsule survived.
00:39Scientists found dust of Itokawa inside the capsule.
00:43Hayabusa spurred the creation of another asteroid sample return mission called Hayabusa 2.
00:48Hayabusa 2 arrived at asteroid Ryugu in 2018.
00:52And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:56NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

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