osiris rex
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NASA Is Struggling to Open Its Asteroid Sample Container
About a month ago, pristine samples from an asteroid landed on Earth while enclosed within a tight capsule. The sample canister was designed to keep the main chunk of the asteroid safe during its journey through space, but now teams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) are struggling to open it to get at the…
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Video Shows NASA Probe Dispatching Asteroid Sample Capsule to Earth
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft had been carrying precious cargo for nearly three years before dropping it off in the Utah desert. As it bid farewell to its rock and dust samples from asteroid Bennu, the spacecraft captured a departing shot of its Earth-bound package as it headed off to another asteroid. NASA released a black and…
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NASA Fixes Psyche Spacecraft’s Thruster Issue Just in Time for Launch
NASA’s mission to a metal-rich asteroid is back on track after a minor setback. Psyche is now all set to launch on October 12. A week before the original scheduled launch, engineers discovered an issue with the Psyche spacecraft’s thrusters that could have caused it to overheat during its eight-year mission. As a result, NASA…
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NASA Transports Mock Asteroid Sample as It Prepares for OSIRIS-REx Return
After landing on an asteroid nearly three years ago to scoop up a sample from its rocky surface, the OSIRIS-REx mission is finally in the homestretch. NASA is preparing for the special delivery of the rocky sample next month and the agency just pulled off the most realistic rehearsal for the big day. From July…