With rubble from an asteroid tucked inside, a NASA spacecraft fired its engines and began the long journey back to Earth on Monday, leaving the ancient space rock in its rearview mirror.
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NASA’s asteroid explorer has begun its long journey home with precious cargo onboard: samples of the asteroid Bennu.
An artist s illustration shows OSIRIS-REX departing 101955 Bennu.
NASA / GSFC
It has been worth the wait. After five years on mission, including more than two years spent exploring the 500-meter asteroid 101955 Bennu, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REX) burned its thrusters for seven minutes on Monday, May 10th. This burn set the spacecraft moving 1,000 kilometers per hour (600 mph) relative to the asteroid to start its 2.5-year journey
NASA s asteroid-tagging spacecraft has begun its journey home
Scott Sutherland
Tuesday, May 11th 2021, 3:45 pm - After punching a sample out of asteroid Bennu last year, OSIRIS-REx has begun its long journey back to Earth.
Millions of kilometres out in space, NASA s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft fired its engines on Monday, propelling it away from asteroid Bennu and onto its path back to Earth. Carried within the probe is precious cargo that scientists here are anxiously looking forward to receiving.
It s been over two years since OSIRIS-REx arrived at its destination and began to explore, map, and catalogue the features of the near-Earth asteroid known as 101955 Bennu. This half-a-kilometre wide object is what s known as a rubble pile asteroid. That is, it is not one solid rock. Instead, it is a collection of boulders, rocks, pebbles and dust, all loosely stuck together by their mutual gravitational pull.
osiris-rex departure.png
This illustration shows the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft departing asteroid Bennu to begin its two-year journey back to Earth.
Credits: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona
NASA invites the public and the media to watch its first asteroid sample return mission begin a two-year cruise home at 4 p.m. EDT Monday, May 10, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agencys website. The public can follow along on the NASA Solar System Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts using #ToBennuAndBack, and ask questions about the mission by commenting on an Instagram story between 12 p.m. EDT, May 10 and 12 p.m. EDT, May 11. Answers will post to NASA Solar Systems Instagram stories on May 11.
New Images: OSIRIS-REx Leaves its Mark on Bennu arizona.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from arizona.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.