Japanese lab finds particles in asteroid pod

JAPAN'S space agency said today it has found "minute particles" of what it hopes is asteroid dust in the capsule of the space probe Hayabusa.
The capsule returned to Earth last month when it landed in the South Australian outback.
Scientists hope any dust samples from the potato-shaped asteroid Itokawa could help reveal secrets about the origins of the solar system.
"We have started the opening process of the sample container of Hayabusa since June 24, 2010 and confirmed there are minute particles," the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.
But the agency added it remained unclear whether the particles are contaminants from Earth or come from Itokawa which the space probe landed on during its multi-billion-kilometre journey.
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