NASA announced the arrival of the largest and first space sample from the asteroid “Bennu” to Earth

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Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 11:15 PM

Today, Sunday, the US space agency (NASA) announced the return of a capsule from the OSIRIS-REx mission.(OSIRIS-REx), to Earth with samples of asteroid debris on board; To open the way for scientists to explore the path of evolution of the solar system.

NASA indicated – in a tweet via its official account on the “X” website (formerly Twitter) – that the OSIRIS-REx prototype capsule landed at the Test and Training Field in Utah at exactly 10:52 AM (Eastern US Time). , after traveling 6.21 billion kilometers through space.

NASA noted that the OSIRIS-REx mission was the first US mission to return samples from space to Earth and was the largest space sample ever brought to our planet’s surface, weighing a quarter of a kilogram. This model opens the door to exploring the history and origins of our solar system.

According to US news site Axios, American scientists hope to use high-powered laboratory equipment to study the Bennu asteroid sample. With the aim of learning more about how our solar system has evolved over billions of years.

The “OSIRIS-REx” spacecraft is now on its way to inspect its next target, an asteroid called “Apophis,” the website pointed out, pointing to the spacecraft’s launch in 2016 and receiving samples from “Bennu.” Asteroid in 2020..