On 24 September, a sample of space dust was successfully landed on Earth. It had been brought back from an asteroid (space rock) called Bennu as part of a mission run by the US space agency NASA.
What is the aim of the mission?
NASA launched the Osiris-Rex mission to collect samples of rock and dust from Bennu, an asteroid whizzing through space. Using these samples, scientists hope to find out more about how our solar system first formed 4.5 billion years ago, and how life began. The mission will also help scientists to understand the movements of asteroids, which is important for preventing them colliding with Earth. The risk of an asteroid hitting Earth is very small.
What was Osiris-Rex’s journey?
The spacecraft for this mission was launched from…
