In only the second mission of its kind, NASA has sent a craft to intercept and touch an near-Earth asteroid, but this time, the craft will turn samples of the surface of the Bennu asteroid, CNN reports.
The back-away burn is complete 🛑✅ I'm now moving to a safe distance away from Bennu. pic.twitter.com/bXk2ufSneS
— NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) October 20, 2020
The NASA craft, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, about the size of a minivan, approached the Bennu asteroid and reached out to touch the surface of the asteroid and take a sample of the surface material, collecting a sample weighing between 2 ounces and 2 kilograms.
The OSIRIS-REx then slowly backed away from Bennu to position itself for its trip back to Earth, where it will arrive in 2023.
This is the second mission to intercept an asteroid. The NEAR Shoemaker mission from 1996 to 2001 during which it landed on the asteroid Eros and send back signals for about a week before losing signal. It likely remains on the surface.
Other missions had previously traveled through the tails of comets to collect dust or trapped solar dust that will allow us to better understand the composition of the universe and possibly the start of live on Earth.