2023-09-24 17:18:53
The largest asteroid sample ever collected, and the first for NASA, landed in the Utah desert in the United States this Sunday, September 24, at the end of a dizzying final descent through the Earth’s atmosphere.
The sample, taken from the asteroid Bennu, must contain around 250 grams of material, according to the American space agency’s estimate. This is much more than the two previous asteroid samples reported by Japanese missions. It should help scientists better understand the formation of the solar system.
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The capsule containing the sample was released more than 100,000 km from Earth by the Osiris-Rex probe, which in 2020 collected stones and dust from the asteroid Bennu before beginning its return journey.
The capsule must be exposed to the sand of the American desert for as short a time as possible, in order to avoid any contamination of the sample which could distort subsequent analyses. On Monday, September 25, it will be sent by plane to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This is where the box will be opened, in another airtight room. The process will take days.
NASA is planning a press conference on October 11 to reveal initial results.
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