NASA's final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid rubble
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a spacecraft last fall — and it’s double the rubble return goal.
Officials reported Thursday that the Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected 121.6 grams (4.29 ounces) of dust and pebbles from asteroid Bennu. That’s just over half a cup and the biggest cosmic haul ever from beyond the moon.
It took NASA longer than expected to pry open the sample container because of stuck fasteners.
The black, carbon-rich samples — the first ever collected from an asteroid by NASA — are stored at a special curation lab at Houston’s Johnson Space Center.
Osiris-Rex returned the samples last September, three years after gathering them from the asteroid. The haul for the $1 billion mission would have been greater, but rocks jammed the lid of the container following the grab and some samples floated away.
Related articles
German police officer dies of wounds suffered in knife attack
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A 29-year-old German police officer has died of injuries suffered during a2024-06-03- Aerial photo taken on April 16, 2021 shows the deep-sea manned submersible Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea2024-06-03
Boeing ousts head of its 737 MAX program
Boeing announced Wednesday that it is removing the head of its 737 MAX passenger aircraft program fo2024-06-03China's NEV exports rise on supply chain strengths, policy incentives
People visit the exhibition area of BYD, China's new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, during the 12024-06-03My baby daughter was left with horrifying pus
A distraught mother claims her daughter's lunch of an innocent celery stick left her face covered in2024-06-03China's beverage industry records solid growth in 2021
A worker monitors a production line of the Swire Coca-Cola Beverages Hubei Limited in Wuhan, central2024-06-03
atest comment