Japan has successfully tested its asteroid destroyer cannon for its Hayabusa 2 spacecraft. It will fire off a 4 pound metal projectile into the 1999JU3 asteroid's soil.

Once Hayabusa 2 is positioned between Earth and Mars - where 1999JU3 orbits - it will release the cannon, and head off to take refuge behind the asteroid before the space blaster does its damage.

Japanese scientists here on Earth will then remotely detonate the cannon, allowing the Hayabusa 2 to float back over and collect the newly revealed asteroid debris it can carry.

Sounds like a concept from the movie Armageddon, and the scientists are fairly confident that this C-Type asteroid has remained relatively the same since our solar system first began. But what they're really hoping for is to discover leftover water and organic matter to give us insight into planet formation.

For now, we'll have to wait if it is really successful. The Hayabusa 2 is scheduled to arrive at its target mid-2018, and we won't have any soil samples to study until sometime in 2019.

[RT]