The Cosmic Companion VIP Newsletter - December 14, 2020

Sneak preview: Professor Seiji Sugita of the University of Tokyo on the Hayabusa2 mission, and bringing a sample of the asteroid Ryugu to Earth

Hello everyone!

Hello and welcome back to Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion. This week, we welcome Professor Seiji Sugita of the University of Tokyo to the show. He is a researcher on the Hayabusa2 mission which recently brought the first large sample of an asteroid to Earth.

The Hayabusa2 mission, with its ultra-cool ion engines, recently brought the first large sample of an asteroid to Earth. This week, we talk to a researcher on this historic mission. Image credit: DLR Gerrman Aerospace Center

But first, we take a look at a new study teaching us how spiders react to living in space. Next, we will journey to the exoplanet HD 106906 b, and learn what it could teach us about a possible unseen planet at the edge of our solar system. Finally, we will take a look at the first large samples of an asteroid ever to arrive on Earth, before we talk to one of the researchers on this historic mission.

Here’s tomorrow’s episode of the show, in an advance showing for our VIP subscribers: