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.
South African boxer Dingaan Thobela, 'The Rose of Soweto,' dies aged 57
Conor McGregor hails Dana White after the UFC president announced post
Ange Postecoglou admits he has not watched back Tottenham's humiliating 6
Immigrant's $1.3B Powerball win spotlights the Iu Mien community
Man United legend Andy Cole accuses Mikel Arteta of 'mugging off' out
The players with the most free
NZDF warns government again it is in dire state
Select list of nominees for 2024 Tony Awards
Controversial Antonio Brown pays tribute to 'legend' OJ Simpson after his death from cancer aged 76
Using a walker boot for too long may mean you can't ever walk properly without it again
Rotorua MP seeks extra policing resources for the city