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Friday, 11th June 2010
In General Japan News,

Japanese await space craft in Australian outback

A Japanese space craft which has been collecting asteroid data is due to crash back to earth this weekend, with representatives from the space agency awaiting its return, it has been reported.

The Hayabusa craft is due to land in the Australian outback on Sunday evening (June 13th) but scientists are unsure about how much information it has managed to gather on its seven-year mission. The initial take off of the crash was delayed and hit by numerous issues and the entire project is three years behind.

According to the Australian AP, some scientists are camping out in the outback, waiting for the craft to land.

Speaking to the source, associate director for Earth Chemistry at Australian National University and member of the Hayabusa team Trevor Ireland said: "Hayabusa has sampled an asteroid in situ and soon we will have in hand an actual asteroid. Any sample coming back from (the asteroid) will be a major scientific prize for us."

In a live broadcast back to earth earlier this year, a Japanese astronaut demonstrated how to make sushi rolls in space.

Written by Kimberley Homer.