US space agency NASA says its OSIRIS-REx probe has delivered the largest amount of asteroid samples ever collected.
NASA announced on Thursday that the probe collected a sample mass totaling 121.6 grams from asteroid Bennu after touching down on it. The asteroid orbits between Earth and Mars.
A capsule carrying the samples, which contain rocks and dust of the asteroid, successfully landed in a desert in the western US state of Utah last September.
The amount of samples far exceeds those brought back in 2020 from a different asteroid by a Japanese mission. Japan's Hayabusa2 probe collected 5.4 grams of samples from asteroid Ryugu.
Analysis of the material from Bennu has revealed the presence of water and carbon. These samples are expected to provide valuable insights about the origins of life on Earth and the formation of the solar system.
NASA plans to make these samples available for study by scientists worldwide, including those in Japan.
NASA announced on Thursday that the probe collected a sample mass totaling 121.6 grams from asteroid Bennu after touching down on it. The asteroid orbits between Earth and Mars.
A capsule carrying the samples, which contain rocks and dust of the asteroid, successfully landed in a desert in the western US state of Utah last September.
The amount of samples far exceeds those brought back in 2020 from a different asteroid by a Japanese mission. Japan's Hayabusa2 probe collected 5.4 grams of samples from asteroid Ryugu.
Analysis of the material from Bennu has revealed the presence of water and carbon. These samples are expected to provide valuable insights about the origins of life on Earth and the formation of the solar system.
NASA plans to make these samples available for study by scientists worldwide, including those in Japan.
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Summary
NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe collected a record-breaking 121.6 gram asteroid sample from Bennu, a space rock that orbits between Earth and Mars. The sample contains water, carbon, rocks, and dust from the asteroid. This surpasses the 5.4 grams of samples gathered by Japan's Hayabusa2 probe from
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ID: 5da0d046-5976-4710-907f-b5c0b39711b1
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240216_12/
Date: Feb. 16, 2024
Created: 2024/02/18 06:30
Updated: 2025/12/08 17:33
Last Read: 2024/02/18 16:05