Title: Hayabusa2 Mission and Future Perspectives

Date & Time: Friday, March 19th, 2021, 11:00-12:00

Location: Online

( ZOOM: https://yonsei.zoom.us/j/86579588720 )

Speaker: Prof. Masateru Ishiguro (Seoul National University)

Abstract:

On December 6, 2020, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully delivered the capsule from the target asteroid Ryugu to Earth and fulfilled its mission objective. Currently, the spacecraft is traveling toward the next target asteroid. The SNU research group has been deeply involved in this space exploration from the beginning stage of the mission, supporting the project team via ground-based observations and optical navigation in collaboration with not only Japanese researchers but also Korean astronomers. When Hayabusa2 returned to Earth, Ryugu also approached Earth, providing an excellent opportunity for making a ground-based observation. We carried out polarimetry at the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory and other observatories in Japan. In this talk, I will report on the outline of the Hayabusa2 mission and explain why polarization observation is important. Also, I will describe my expectations and prospects for asteroid explorations currently planned.