The Hayabusa space probe apparently succeeded in landing Saturday on an asteroid and collecting surface samples in an unprecedented mission to bring the extraterrestrial material back to Earth, but afterward showed signs of trouble, the space agency said.
The probe, hovering about 5 km from the asteroid, appeared to be shaking vertically due to problems with its thruster, according to spokesman Atsushi Ako of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The agency planned to put Hayabusa into "safety mode" -- which stabilizes the probe by turning its solar panels toward the sun -- for two to three days to investigate, Ako said.
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