A paper on Hayabusa2, in which UoA researchers and students were the lead authors and co-authors, has been published in Science.

On Wednesday, March 20, 2019, three papers on the observation results of the asteroid probe "Hayabusa2," in which researchers and students of ARC-Space, the Advanced Research Center for Information Science at the University of Aizu were the lead authors and co-authors, were published in Science.

Of the three papers published in Science, Associate Professor KITAZATO Kohei is the lead author on one of them, and the other two papers are co-authored by University of Aizu faculty members and students.

These papers summarize the initial results of the analysis based on remote sensing observations and gravity measurements, and include research results on the shape, internal structure, surface composition, topography, and parent body of the asteroid Ryugu.

<Paper title>Hayabusa2 arrives at the carbonaceous asteroid 162173 Ryugu -- a spinning-top-shaped rubble pile

Main Author: WATANABE Sei-ichiro (Professor, Nagoya University)

Author affiliated with the University of Aizu: HIRATA Naru (Senior Associate Professor)

SUGIYAMA Takayoshi (Master's second year)

KITAZATO Kohei (Associate Professor)

HONDA Chikatoshi (Associate Professor)

<Paper title>The surface composition of asteroid 162173 Ryugu from Hayabusa2 near-infrared spectroscopy

Main Author: KITAZATO Kohei (Associate Professor,The University of Aizu)

Author affiliated with the University of Aizu: HIRATA Naru (Senior Associate Professor)

HONDA Chikatoshi (Associate Professor)

<Paper title>The geomorphology, color, and thermal properties of Ryugu: Implications for parent-body processes

Main Author: SUGITA Seiji (Professor,The University of Tokyo)

Author affiliated with the University of Aizu: HONDA Chikatoshi (Associate Professor)

HIRATA Naru (Senior Associate Professor)

DEMURA Hirohide (Professor)

OGAWA Yoshiko (Associate Professor)

YAMADA Ryuhei (Adjunct Associate Professor)