Tag: NASA Bennu

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid Bennu sample unveiled at the Smithsonian museum
Technology

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid Bennu sample unveiled at the Smithsonian museum

[ad_1] In September, NASA reached a unique milestone when its ambitious project, the OSIRIS-REx mission, was completed successfully. The spacecraft traveled 6.2 billion kilometers to meet an asteroid named Bennu in deep space, collected samples, and then delivered them to the Earth. These samples, collected for the first time ever by humanity, are expected to answer some of the biggest questions around the origin of the Earth, the life of the planet, and the solar system itself. And now, a small piece of this sample has been placed in the iconic Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History so that people can come and appreciate the historic feat.According to a report by Payload Space, the asteroid sample was unveiled at the museum on Friday. The unveiling was a ceremonious occasion as the ro...
NASA lab hopes to find life’s building blocks in asteroid sample
Technology

NASA lab hopes to find life’s building blocks in asteroid sample

[ad_1] Eager scientists and a gleaming lab awaits.A sample from the asteroid Bennu, which could be key to understanding the formation of the solar system and our own planet, is set to be analyzed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston after it reaches Earth in late September. The precious cargo is currently aboard OSIRIS-REx, a US space probe launched in 2016 to Bennu, which orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 105 million miles (168 million kilometers). Long white sleeves hang from the huge metal and glass box in which the sample will be handled.Scientists will separate pieces of the rock and dust for study now, while carefully storing away the rest for future generations equipped with better technology -- a practice first started during the Apollo missions to the Moon."We...