Mar 12 (NHK) - A capsule brought back to Earth by Japan's Hayabusa2 asteroid probe has gone on display for the first time at a museum near Tokyo.
The capsule collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu. It returned to Earth last December, after completing a journey of about 5 billion kilometers.
An exhibition featuring five parts of the capsule opened on Friday at the Sagamihara City Museum, which is located next to a research facility that belongs to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.
One of the items on display is the capsule's heat shield. It is visibly charred from the fiery plunge into Earth's atmosphere. A 3-meter wide landing parachute is also on exhibit.
About 120 elementary school children were invited to the museum on the opening day. A girl said she now wants to include space exploration as one of the jobs she dreams of doing.
The exhibition will run through next Tuesday.
