After 7 years, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission successfully returns asteroid sample
By Nell Greenfieldboyce|Regina G. Barber|Berly McCoy|Rebecca RamirezThe sample return capsule from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission touched down in the desert on September 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was collected from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. NASA/Keegan Barber hide caption
toggle caption NASA/Keegan Barber NASA/Keegan BarberIn 2016, NASA launched a spacecraft to do something rarely attempted before: Collect space rocks from a potentially dangerous asteroid. The mission, named OSIRIS-REx, was successful. Tuesday, scientists opened a sealed canister containing the samples from the asteroid Bennu.
Science correspondent talks to host about the mission's close calls and what NASA might learn from these space rocks that are older than our planet.
to read Nell's full story.