Straightening
Tip Polishing
Insert Molding
Insert Molding
Our needle was used to secure the sample brought back to Earth by Hayabusa 2 Space Probe.
This image shows a sample returned from asteroid Ryugu during the Hayabusa 2 space mission. The sample was collected using a needle-shaped instrument with a flat tip and observed under an electron microscope.
Image courtesy of Dr. Megumi Matsumoto, Tohoku University.
Sample size: approximately 20–50 μm.
Launch of the Hayabusa 2 /H-IIA Rocket No. 26
Specifics : JAXA Digital Archives
Credit : JAXA
Curation process
Optical microscope image of the A chamber (inside the collection container)
(Credit: JAXA)
In this project, we manufactured and provided a pointed needle made of Ti-64, a non-magnetic alloy composed of relatively light elements.
A flat tip needle design was required in order to hold the sample of the asteroid.
