NASA’s first asteroid sample coming to Earth. What could it uncover?
Global News
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is expected to land in the United States on Sunday carrying 250g of rock and dust from the surface of asteroid Bennu for scientific research.
Earth is about to receive the largest asteroid sample captured in space, one that scientists say could offer clues — even possible surprises — about how planets were formed billions of years ago.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission will deliver on Sunday material collected back in 2020 from the surface of asteroid Bennu, located more than 200 million miles (322 million kilometres) from Earth.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is expected to land in the Utah desert around 11 a.m. ET on Sept. 24, carrying rocks and dust samples weighing roughly 250 grams, or 8.8 ounces.
According to NASA, the sample from Bennu will offer a window into the time when the Sun and planets were forming about 4.5 billion years ago.
This would be the first time that the United States brings an asteroid sample to Earth — and Canadians are also involved.
The Canadian Space Agency provided the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter, which is a laser system that helped scan the surface of the asteroid and gave detailed information about its features.
Canada will receive a portion — four per cent — of the Bennu sample for research.
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