health

NASA's final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid rubble

Font size+Author:Stellar Stream news portalSource:entertainment2024-05-21 10:11:40I want to comment(0)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a spacecraft last fall — and it’s double the rubble return goal.

Officials reported Thursday that the Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected 121.6 grams (4.29 ounces) of dust and pebbles from asteroid Bennu. That’s just over half a cup and the biggest cosmic haul ever from beyond the moon.

It took NASA longer than expected to pry open the sample container because of stuck fasteners.

The black, carbon-rich samples — the first ever collected from an asteroid by NASA — are stored at a special curation lab at Houston’s Johnson Space Center.

Osiris-Rex returned the samples last September, three years after gathering them from the asteroid. The haul for the $1 billion mission would have been greater, but rocks jammed the lid of the container following the grab and some samples floated away.

Related articles
  • Adams, Reyna, Turner, Ream are US concerns ahead of Copa America

    Adams, Reyna, Turner, Ream are US concerns ahead of Copa America

    2024-05-21 10:05

  • Healey's goal in 2nd period gives Boston 4

    Healey's goal in 2nd period gives Boston 4

    2024-05-21 09:27

  • Mateta's hat trick helps Crystal Palace rout Aston Villa 5

    Mateta's hat trick helps Crystal Palace rout Aston Villa 5

    2024-05-21 08:29

  • Investigation: Inmates at Virginia prison for mentally ill hospitalized 13 times for hypothermia

    Investigation: Inmates at Virginia prison for mentally ill hospitalized 13 times for hypothermia

    2024-05-21 07:26

Netizen comments