Almost three years after touching the surface of the giant space rock Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx capsule is coming back to Earth.
It will bring with it a sample collected during its 3-year mission, and it will be the first ever US mission to bring a piece of an asteroid back to soil.
The sample will be opened in a special cleanroom at the Johnson Space Center and given to research institutes, along with other material.
There is a good deal of material: between 400 and 1,000 grams (14-35 ounces).
IFLScience reports that this will be the largest specimen we’ve received from an asteroid to date.
Brother Bob Macke, curator of meteorites at the Vatican Observatory, told IFLscience that he has developed a device to measure the volume and thus the density and porosity of cosmic material.
Assessing those characteristics will provide a clear idea of how Bennu came to be.
Asteroids like Bennu may have
👋 Feeling the vibes?
Keep the good energy going by checking out my Amazon affiliate link for some cool finds! 🛍️
If not, consider contributing to my caffeine supply at Buy Me a Coffee ☕️.
Your clicks = cosmic support for more awesome content! 🚀🌈
Leave a Reply