[CraigS]

Ahh .. thanks Michael;

Slightly more info ..

The particles contain the minerals olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase. Although common on Earth, these particles are said to be quite different in the Hayabusa samples, in their relative abundances and in their atomic composition.

The analysis fits with what Hayabusa saw with its remote-sensing instruments at Itokawa. These minerals are also common in certain meteorites, as is the mineral troilite (an iron sulphide) which has also been identified.

"This latter mineral is not found on the surface of the Earth," said Professor Ireland, who is affiliated to the Australian National University in Canberra.

"As such, everything points to a successful sample return from Itokawa."

The second last statement is a big one ! Wiki Troilite says:

Troilite can be found as a native mineral on Earth but is more abundant in meteorites, in particular those originating from the Moon and Mars.

Also, the BBC article starts out with:

Scientists at the Japanese space agency's (Jaxa) Sagamihara Campus in Kanagawa then spent the next five months subjecting minuscule grains found inside the canister to detailed examination.

"Almost all of them are extraterrestrial and come from Itokawa," Jaxa announced in its statement.

So, does this mean that some of the grains found inside the canister are not extraterrrestrial ???

The message is still mixed up and its hard to understand just exactly what these guys are trying to communicate ! (Other than attempting to confirm a legendary status of Hayabusa).

To me, these announcements further undermine confidence in the whole project. (Perhaps I'm just too skeptical or something !)

Junichiro Kawaguchi, the project manager on the mission, told reporters: "I don't know how to describe what has been beyond our dreams, but I'm overwhelmed by emotion."

Maybe that's the whole problem right there ..!…
Cheers