osiris rex
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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 Finally Cracks Open Asteroid Sample Container
The space agency has been struggling with two pesky fasteners that, for months, stood in the way of the precious Bennu sample.
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NASA Discovers Root Cause of Parachute Glitch in Asteroid Sample Landing
Inconsistent labels in the OSIRIS-REx landing plans are what caused the out-of-order parachute deployment during the return capsule’s descent to Earth on September 24, NASA stated in a release yesterday. OSIRIS-REx carried samples of the asteroid Bennu to Earth in late September—an “astrobiologist’s dream,” as Gizmodo previously reported. Bennu is a relic of the solar…
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Pieces of Asteroid Bennu Land at the Smithsonian After 200 Million Mile Voyage
After travelling through space for 200 million miles, rocky pieces from asteroid Bennu were dropped off on Earth by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in late September. Now, some of those fragments will be put on display for museum-goers to observe firsthand. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History will unveil the first public display of the…