The Japanese space probe Hayabusa ("falcon") made history on Saturday when it succeeded in landing on an asteroid and collecting rock samples. Earlier this week the unmanned probe had failed to touch down on its target, a task mission scientists compared to landing a jumbo jet in a moving Grand Canyon. Hayabusa is expected to return to Earth with its payload in June 2007. The Japanese space agency hopes the extraterrestrial asteroid material will provide clues to how the solar system formed. Read more at CNN.com(1).

1. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/11/26/japan.probe.reut/index.html