Japan opens a container from the Hayabusa2 asteroid sample container 

Great success' as Japan opens a container from the #Hayabusa2 asteroid sample collection mission. The Japanese space agency posted this photo of a collection container holding what is says is 'a large number of particles'. 

A large number of particles are confirmed to be in “sample chamber A” inside the collected capsule (~11:10 JST on 12/15). This is thought to be the sample from the first touchdown on Ryugu. 

The photo looks brown, but our team says “black”! The sample return is a great success! The sample container inside the re-entry capsule was opened on December 14, and we confirmed black grains thought to be from Ryugu were inside. This is outside the main chambers, and likely particles attached to the sample catcher entrance.