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NASA is ready to share its findings of a with the masses during a livestream at 11 AM ET today, October 11, on its . The reveal comes less than three weeks after the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft parachuted a into a Utah-based Department of Defense training site. NASA then transferred the sample to its Johnson Space Center in Houston for a complete analysis.
set off on its $1.2 billion mission in September 2016, reaching the 1,650-foot wide asteroid two years later. In 2020, the spacecraft burrowed into Bennu much deeper than expected, collecting the largest asteroid surface sample to date. The goal was to bring at least 2.1 ounces back, and initial estimates put the collection at around 8.8 ounces. should reveal the exact specifications and the quality of the substance during its livestream, as well as other interesting tidbits uncovered.
As for OSIRIS-REx, it already has a new name and mission. The now-dubbed is on its way to asteroid Apophis to examine the impact of a close encounter with Earth in 2029. NASA expects the asteroid to come within 20,000 miles of the Earth's surface — 90 percent closer than the moon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at
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set off on its $1.2 billion mission in September 2016, reaching the 1,650-foot wide asteroid two years later. In 2020, the spacecraft burrowed into Bennu much deeper than expected, collecting the largest asteroid surface sample to date. The goal was to bring at least 2.1 ounces back, and initial estimates put the collection at around 8.8 ounces. should reveal the exact specifications and the quality of the substance during its livestream, as well as other interesting tidbits uncovered.
As for OSIRIS-REx, it already has a new name and mission. The now-dubbed is on its way to asteroid Apophis to examine the impact of a close encounter with Earth in 2029. NASA expects the asteroid to come within 20,000 miles of the Earth's surface — 90 percent closer than the moon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at
Console Bang News!