Watch: Osiris-Rex drops rock, soil sample from asteroid Bennu on Earth

Posted on:
Key Points

The samples collected weigh more than 250 grams and have been preserved in pristine condition..

Nasa's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, the first US mission to collect a sample from an asteroid, made history on Sunday, as it returned to Earth with samples from asteroid Bennu...

Launched on September 8, 2016, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida, OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) traveled to near-Earth asteroid Bennu...

These samples are expected to provide scientists with key insights into the origins of our solar system, as asteroids are considered the "leftovers" from those early days 4.5 billion years ago...

The return of these samples marks a milestone in our understanding of the universe and could potentially unlock secrets about the early solar system and the origins of life...

You might be interested in

NASA's Bennu asteroid sample contains carbon, water. Did building blocks of life on Earth come from astero

11, Oct, 23

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission collected the sample from the 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid Bennu in October 2020. It contains carbon and water molecules. Does it mean that life on the Earth came from an asteroid?

Osiris-Rex mission: Nasa lands rock samples from asteroid Bennu on Earth

26, Sep, 23

The US made history as the space agency landed rock samples on Earth. With this, the spacecraft's seven-year-long journey came to an end.

NASA's first asteroid sample on track for Sunday parachute landing in Utah

26, Sep, 23

A NASA space capsule carrying a sample of rocky material plucked from the surface of an asteroid three years ago hurtled toward Earth this weekend headed for a fiery plunge through the atmosphere and a parachute landing in the Utah desert on Sunday.

Soil from asteroid that could swallow a spacecraft to fly down to Earth

29, Mar, 23

The samples of soil and pebbles from asteroid Bennu will be dropped into the Utah desert bringing the seven-year-long mission to a close.

Nasa spacecraft launched to mysterious, rare metal asteroid mission

13, Oct, 23

SpaceX launched the NASA’s Psyche spacecraft into a midmorning sky from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Named for the asteroid it’s chasing, Psyche should reach the huge, potato-shaped object in 2029.

NASA gears up for OSIRIS-REx’s landmark sample delivery from Asteroid Bennu

25, Mar, 23

NASA is preparing for the finale of the OSIRIS-REx mission, which will be the first US mission to return a sample from an asteroid to Earth.

Osiris-Rex adjusts course to get closer to Earth with asteroid samples

27, Jul, 23

On July 26, the spacecraft fired its engines for approximately 63 seconds, altering its velocity by a seemingly minuscule but crucial 2.09 kilometers per hour.

Nasa probe launches to metal asteroid Psyche

13, Oct, 23

The US space agency's latest mission will investigate a mountainous object made mostly from iron.

Cosmic curio: A little bit of Bennu

29, Sep, 23

OSIRIS-REx travelled over 6 billion km in space to reach Bennu and get back to earth

Isro shifts focus to Aditya L1: India's solar probe to reach new home this week

02, Jan, 24

The spacecraft is scheduled to enter L1 on January 6 after an impressive journey spanning over four months in the cold realm of space.