Skip to main content
Partly Cloudy icon
54º

NASA spacecraft OSIRIS-REX attempts to land on ancient asteroid

This undated image made available by NASA shows the asteroid Bennu from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. After almost two years circling the ancient asteroid, OSIRIS-REx will attempt to descend to the treacherous, boulder-packed surface and snatch a handful of rubble on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. (NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/CSA/York/MDA via AP) (Uncredited)

A NASA spacecraft is preparing to land on an asteroid Tuesday to collect a sample.

Spacecraft OSIRIS-REX is descending toward an asteroid named Bennu to suck up rubble as a sample for closer study back on Earth.

Recommended Videos



This live stream has ended.

OSIRIS-REX descended Tuesday toward the surface of the asteroid, which is 200 million miles away.

The spacecraft dropped out of orbit around asteroid Bennu right on time, beginning a 4 1/2-hour plunge to the rough, boulder-covered face of the ancient space rock.

It was America’s first attempt to gather samples from an asteroid, something already accomplished by Japan — twice.

Bennu’s gravity was too low for the spacecraft to land — the asteroid is just 1,670 feet (510 meters) across. As a result, Osiris-Rex has to reach out with its 11-foot (3.4-meter) robot arm while dodging boulders the size of buildings, and attempt to grab at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of Bennu.

It promised to be the most harrowing part of the mission, which began with a launch from Cape Canaveral back in 2016.

“We’ll only be kissing the surface with a short touch-and-go measured in just seconds,” said the University of Arizona’s Heather Enos, the deputy scientist for the mission.

You can read more about the mission here.


About the Authors
Cassidy Johncox headshot

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

Loading...

Recommended Videos