Launched in 2016, the Osiris-Rex mission has attempted to reach the 500m-wide rock and observe it for several years before making an effort to seize surface materials.
NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission will return to Earth on September 24, bringing particles from Bennu – an asteroid believed to be one of most dangerous rocks in outer space. Experts hope to study the samples as soon as possible and shed some light on the formation of the planets and maybe even offer insights into the start of biological life on Earth. Scientists believe they will learn a bit more about the Earth’s geological history. However, there is a risk that the capsule with the pieces of the asteroid will burn to ashes in the atmosphere.
