What's happened
NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft successfully returns to Earth with the largest asteroid sample ever collected
Why it matters
The return of the asteroid sample is significant as it provides valuable information about the formation of our solar system, the origins of life, and the potential threats posed by asteroids. It also marks a major milestone for NASA and opens up possibilities for future asteroid exploration missions.
What the papers say
The Independent says the sample could reveal untold secrets of the origins of the universe, while Gulf News highlights the potential impact on our understanding of the solar system and Earth's habitability. The New York Times emphasizes the significance of the sample return, comparing it to the Apollo moon rocks, and AP News mentions the importance of studying the types of asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth.
How we got here
NASA's Osiris-Rex mission was launched in 2016 with the goal of studying asteroid Bennu and collecting a sample to bring back to Earth. After four years of exploration and sample collection, the spacecraft has successfully returned to Earth, marking a major achievement for NASA's asteroid exploration efforts.
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
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101955 Bennu is a carbonaceous asteroid in the Apollo group discovered by the LINEAR Project on 11 September 1999. It is a potentially hazardous object that is listed on the Sentry Risk Table with the second-highest cumulative rating on the Palermo Techni
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OSIRIS-REx is a NASA asteroid-study and sample-return mission. The mission's primary goal, which is expected to occur October 20, 2020, at 6:12pm EDT, is to obtain a sample of at least 60 grams from 101955 Bennu, a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid, and re
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