Osiris-Rex: NASA's final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid rubble

Source: Associated Press

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

BY MARCIA DUNN
Updated 11:40 AM EST, February 16, 2024

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.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/asteroid-samples-nasa-bennu-2ea5ff565570c4db8ad492ed67dc2037