Hayabusa did bring back particles

The Japanese probe Hayabusa whose capsule made a successful landing in the Australian bush on 13 June, did bring back minuscule particles from its 7 year voyage to the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa. The sample container was taken back to Japan for analysis and minuscule particles have been found in it. It is still too soon to be able to be absolutely certain that these particles come from the asteroid Itokawa.

The two attempts made in 2005 to collect samples did not, in fact, take place as planned. A projectile should have been fired at the surface and the collector should have recovered any debris resulting from the impact. During the first attempt, instead of staying near to the asteroid, the probe landed on its surface which was not planned! During the second try, the projectile could not be fired. It is possible that the particles collected come from direct contact with the asteroid but they could also just be interplanetary dust or pollution by Earth dust as the collector was open during the launch. Only in-depth analysis will enable the distinction to be made.

Hayabusa on JAXA's website

JAXA's release in Japanese with pictures

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