Japan Sent a Probe to Collect Samples From an Asteroid. That Asteroid Might Actually Be a Derelict Soviet Spacecraft.

Japan Sent a Probe to Collect Samples From an Asteroid. That Asteroid Might Actually Be a Derelict Soviet Spacecraft.

Japan sent a spacecraft to a small asteroid in hopes of collecting samples that scientists will eventually study back on Earth. Only, according to a newly released research paper, the spacecraft Japan sent, Hayabusa2, might encounter a bit of an awkward problem once it reaches its destination: the asteroid it’s been chasing could actually be a broken Soviet spacecraft that it will poke and prod to no avail. The claim comes from a new, not yet pe…