Scientists have successfully completed a historic mission, bringing back samples from the asteroid Bennu, located 3.9 billion miles away, making it NASA's first-ever asteroid sample mission since the Apollo moon landings. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected samples from Bennu in October 2020 and is set to deliver them to Earth on September 24th, 2023. Studying these samples is crucial for understanding the origins of our solar system, the formation of planets, and potential future threats from asteroids. The mission revealed surprises, such as Bennu's rugged surface with large boulders. Scientists are eagerly anticipating the analysis of these unique space samples.
Sure, here are the key facts extracted from the provided text:
1. Scientists in Texas are bringing back something unique from space.
2. The OSIRIS-REx mission traveled to an asteroid named Bennu.
3. The mission collected a sample from Bennu and is bringing it back to Earth.
4. This is NASA's first-ever asteroid sample mission.
5. The sample will be deposited into Earth's atmosphere and collected on September 24th.
6. Scientists will study the sample to learn about the origins of the solar system.
7. The sample contains complex chemical compounds.
8. The asteroid is not a threat to Earth in the next 150 years.
9. The asteroid's rugged surface was surprising to scientists.
10. NASA will live stream the capsule's landing at Johnson Space Center in Texas.
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