A research group led by Hiroshima University, the National Institute of Polar Research, the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) Kochi Core Research Institute conducted experiments applying artificial impacts to “CI chondrite meteorites” similar to the asteroid Ryugu. They successfully reproduced the impact traces observed on Ryugu particles.The results revealed that impacts below approximately 4 gigapascals (GPa) cause almost no change in the rock. This finding supports the existing theory that many particles on Ryugu have only experienced relatively weak impacts. The photographs show the single-stage gun（installed at NIMS) used in the experiment (top) and SEM images of the CI chondrite meteorite (bottom left) after shocked compression and Ryugu particles (bottom right) .

Created at: 2025-09-03 03:11:01 +0900 Updated at: 2026-09-15 04:32:09 +0900