Scientists Discover Signs of Flowing Water on Ryugu’s Parent Asteroid

Rapid Summary

• Scientists discovered evidence of liquid water flowing across Ryugu’s parent asteroid much later than previously believed,nearly a billion years after its formation.
• teh finding was based on samples collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft between 2018 and 2019 and returned to Earth in December 2020.
• Analysis of radioactive isotopes of lutetium and hafnium revealed that fluid movement occurred due to an impact event, which fractured rock and melted buried ice.
• This challenges earlier assumptions that asteroid water activity only occurred during the early history of the solar system (~4.6 billion years ago).
• Implications include rethinking Earth’s primordial conditions, as carbon-rich asteroids may have delivered more water to the planet than previously estimated.
• Researchers used advanced techniques to analyze these samples, which were equivalent in size to a fraction of a grain of rice. Future studies might refine these findings with similar samples from asteroid Bennu or investigate phosphate veins for precise age determination.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The revelation regarding Ryugu’s watery past is significant for both planetary science and humanity’s understanding of Earth’s ancient evolution. If carbon-rich asteroids like Ryugu held liquid water far longer than presumed, their role in delivering water-and potentially other life-building elements-to newborn Earth requires reevaluation.For India’s space research endeavors,such findings underscore opportunities for collaboration in future missions aimed at exploring asteroids and interplanetary materials through partnerships with agencies like JAXA or NASA.

Moreover, this study highlights how complex analytical methods can extract valuable data from minuscule extraterrestrial samples-a process Indian scientists may leverage in similar ventures like ISRO’s upcoming asteroid studies or deep-space explorations under proposals such as “Shukrayaan.” Such advancements could refine global planetary models while contributing uniquely Indian expertise toward understanding celestial dynamics crucial for habitability assessments.Read More