NASA's final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid rubble
Time:2024-05-07 14:35:29 Source:sportViews(143)
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.
Previous:Maternal deaths have fallen to pre
Next:California reports the first increase in groundwater supplies in 4 years
You may also like
- Can yogurt reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes?
- China's development promotes global prosperity
- Thrifty Asian Games puts spring in the step of rural students
- A's rally from 5 runs down, beat Nats 7
- DJ Chark Jr. signs with the Los Angeles Chargers
- Italian thrill seekers head to China for extreme sports on world's highest bridge
- New findings unveil stone processing practices of China's Liangzhu civilization
- Volleyball ignites latest rural sports passion on China's tropical island
- A subset of Alzheimer's cases may be caused by two copies of a single gene, new research shows