by NASA has revealed the very first peek at the sample collected by OSIRIS-REx — the space agency's first successful mission to collect a rock chunk from a distant asteroid.
The sample — between 3.5 to 8.8 ounces (100 to 250 grams) of rocky space rubble collected from the asteroid Bennu's surface — contains water and carbon, scientists announced at a news conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday (Oct. 11).
NASA scientists unveiled the sample two weeks after it hurtled back to Earth at speeds of up to 27,000 mph (43,000 km/h) on Sept. 24.
After a seven-year, 4 billion-mile (6.4 million kilometers) roundtrip, the capsule deployed its parachute and safely landed in the Utah desert before being transported to Johnson Space Center, where scientists have begun analyzing its contents for signs of life beyond our planet.
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The sample — between 3.5 to 8.8 ounces (100 to 250 grams) of rocky space rubble collected from the asteroid Bennu's surface — contains water and carbon, scientists announced at a news conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday (Oct. 11).
NASA scientists unveiled the sample two weeks after it hurtled back to Earth at speeds of up to 27,000 mph (43,000 km/h) on Sept. 24.
After a seven-year, 4 billion-mile (6.4 million kilometers) roundtrip, the capsule deployed its parachute and safely landed in the Utah desert before being transported to Johnson Space Center, where scientists have begun analyzing its contents for signs of life beyond our planet.
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