Asteroid probe on close approach

The Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft has approached within 20km (12 miles) of the asteroid it has been travelling to for more than two years. The probe will collect a sample from the surface of asteroid Itokawa and return it to Earth for analysis. Mission scientists hope this will shed light on how these mysterious Solar System bodies formed and evolved.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4242076.stm