CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has finally counted all the asteroid samples Came back It was discovered by a spacecraft last fall, which is double the debris return goal. officials reported Thursday. osiris rex spaceship 121.6 grams (4.29 ounces) dust and pebbles From the asteroid Bennu. This is the equivalent of just over half a cup, and is the largest amount ever collected from space beyond the moon. It took NASA longer than expected to pry the sample container open because the clasp was stuck.
The carbon-rich black sample was the first ever collected from an asteroid by NASA and is stored in a special controlled laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
OSIRIS-REx returned its samples last September, three years after collecting them from the asteroid. The $1 billion mission's harvest would have been much larger, but stones jammed the container lid after the grab and some samples drifted adrift.
The spacecraft is currently on its way to another space rock, but it won't be stopping to take samples, just passing by.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
