OSIRIS-REx will collect part of an asteroid - Earth.com

OSIRIS-REx will collect part of an asteroid

08-25-2018


OSIRIS-REx will collect part of an asteroid Today’s Video of the Day from NASA Goddard discusses the mission of OSIRIS-REx, which was launched into space two years ago in 2016.

This is NASA’s first attempt to retrieve a sample from an asteroid and return it to Earth. The mission is nearly in the approach phase, where images will be processed of the asteroid Bennu.

Asteroids are the building blocks of our planet, and having this sample will provide scientists with not only something to study now but also to base studies on in the future. OSIRIS-REx is the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid. A 3D model of OSIRIS-REx, a mission to explore asteroid Bennu. Credit: NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) › Download Options Oct. 20, 2020: OSIRIS-REx successfully collects a sample from Bennu.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx will be the first U.S. mission to bring an asteroid sample to Earth. The spacecraft is currently orbiting asteroid Bennu and will spend two years mapping it before collecting a sample and returning to Earth. Bennu is a potentially hazardous asteroid that could one day threaten Earth.

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: NASA Goddard

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