101955 bennu
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We Finally Know How Much of That Asteroid OSIRIS-REx Grabbed in Space
After opening up that stubborn sample canister, NASA was finally able to weigh the full amount of asteroid bits snagged by its spacecraft more than three years ago. As it turns out, there is plenty of space rock that made its way to Earth. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered a total of 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams)…
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NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX Brushes the Sun on Its Way to New Asteroid Target
New mission, who dis? The spacecraft formerly known as OSIRIS-REx had an impromptu close encounter with the Sun as it follows a newly crafted route to a second asteroid, using one of its solar arrays for shade. You may remember NASA’s diligent spacecraft that snagged a sample from an asteroid and dropped it off in…
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Bennu Asteroid Samples Expected to ‘Fundamentally’ Shift Our Perspective on Cosmic Life
If NASA ever manages to pry open the sample canister, that is.
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Returned Asteroid Samples Are an ‘Astrobiologist’s Dream,’ NASA Says
The OSIRIS-REx canister still contains the bulk of the asteroid sample inside, but pieces of the ancient space rock found on the outside have already shown evidence of organic matter embedded within tiny bits of debris. On Wednesday, NASA revealed the first look at samples returned from asteroid Bennu through its OSIRIS-REx mission. Scientists performed…