Exciting news from NASA! The OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft successfully collected 121.6 grams of pristine space rocks from the asteroid Bennu, surpassing the mission’s original science goal. The agency confirmed this remarkable achievement on February 15. Although some rocks and dust have already been analyzed, the full sample’s weight was delayed due to a couple of stuck screws. However, engineers managed to unlock the full sample on January 10, and it will soon be distributed to scientists worldwide for further study. To learn more about this groundbreaking accomplishment and the scientific insights it may provide, Science News spoke with Harold Connolly, a geologist at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., who oversees the analysis of the Bennu material. Read on for the full conversation.
SN: Were you able to collect some sample shortly after retrieving the OSIRIS-Rex canister?
2024-02-15 11:50:54
Post from www.sciencenews.org