JAXA probe Hyabusa2 successfully deployed the German MASCOT lander this morning. [...] Scientists at the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt – DLR) received confirmation that the landing was successful following what could best be described as a gentle saunter over to Ryugu. [...] In the 16 hours before the power runs out, scientists plan to put the four instruments onboard the 9.6kg lander to good use. A wide-angle camera, [...] a radiometer [...] a magnetometer [...] an infrared spectrometer [...] Once MASCOT has taken all the measurements it needs, a flywheel will be used to change the lander's location in order to repeat the process. Scientists plan a third move to grab a final batch of data before MASCOT's 200Wh battery is finally depleted.
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