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Samples from asteroid Bennu brought back to Earth by NASA's OSIRIS-REx

Precious samples from the asteroid Bennu have returned to Earth, where researchers hope to use them to learn more about the origins of the solar system

By Alex Wilkins

25 September 2023

The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx touched down in Utah on 24 September

Keegan Barber/UPI/Shutterstock

NASA has successfully collected samples from the asteroid Bennu, after a capsule containing around 250 grams of the space rock touched down in the desert near Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday. Scientists hope that Bennu, which is older than Earth, could help explain how the solar system formed.

The capsule has been making its way home since 2020, when NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft extracted samples from the asteroid. The final, riskiest part of the mission…

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