In a dangerous maneuver … a probe captures a rock sample from an asteroid

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The probe, belonging to the agency, has landed "NASA" On the surface of an asteroid "Benno", Which is characterized by being rugged, and picked up a rock sample dating back to the period of the emergence and formation of our solar system.

The spacecraft is extended "Osiris Rex" Its robotic arm, which is 3.35 meters long, moves towards a flat patch of gravel near the north pole of an asteroid "Benno", And picked up the rock sample, the first of a handful of virgin asteroid rocks for NASA.

“Responsible for carrying out the mission,” said Estelle Church SpacecraftMade by Lockheed Martin "Sample collection completed"According to Reuters.

Church confirmed that the spacecraft, which has been in orbit around the asteroid for two years, moved away from the asteroid after the successful completion of the mission.

The probe is expected to send pictures of the sample collection on Wednesday, so that scientists can examine the amount of material collected and determine whether the probe will need to make another attempt to collect samples.

If the sample collection proves successful, the spacecraft, which was launched from the Kennedy Center in 2016, will return to Earth, arriving in 2023.

It is worth noting that Japan is the only other country that has actually accomplished such a thing when the spacecraft landed "Hayabusa 2" On an asteroid "ریوغو".

Bennu is located more than 160 million kilometers from planet Earth, and it is a rocky mass that looks like a giant oak tree that formed in the early days of our solar system, and scientists say it may hold clues to the origins of life on Earth.

Lead researcher for the Osiris Rex spacecraft from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Dante Loretta, said in a live NASA broadcast: "Everything went just as it should … we overcame the amazing challenges this asteroid represented and it seemed that the spacecraft worked flawlessly.".

The sample collection device attached to the arm is designed to release compressed gas to capture the rock sample.

Before the sample was taken, NASA planetary scientist Lucy Lim said "A lot could go wrong because the spacecraft is the size of a pickup truck, and the asteroid has a lot of rocks. So we have to go between the rocks to get our sample, and put a lot of planning on that".

Asteroids are among the debris left over from the formation Solar System About 4.5 billion years ago.

Scientists believe that asteroids and comets that collided with Earth in early stages provided it with organic compounds and water needed for life on the planet, and atomic analysis of samples taken from the asteroid Bennu may provide important evidence to prove this hypothesis.

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The probe, belonging to the agency “NASAOn the surface of the asteroid “Bennu”, which is characterized by being rugged, and he picked up a rock sample dating back to the period of the emergence and formation of our solar system.

Spacecraft extendedOsiris RexIts robotic arm, 3.35 meters long, toward a flat patch of gravel near the north pole of an asteroidBennoShe picked up the rock sample, the first of a handful of virgin asteroid rocks for NASA.

“Responsible for carrying out the mission,” said Estelle Church Spacecraft, Made by Lockheed Martin, “sample collection is complete,” according to Reuters.

Church confirmed that the spacecraft, which has been in orbit around the asteroid for two years, moved away from the asteroid after the successful completion of the mission.

The probe is expected to send pictures of the sample collection on Wednesday, so that scientists can examine the amount of material collected and determine whether the probe will need to make another attempt to collect samples.

If the sample collection proves successful, the spacecraft, which was launched from the Kennedy Center in 2016, will return to Earth, arriving in 2023.

It is worth noting that Japan is the only other country that has actually accomplished such a thing when the spacecraft landed.Hayabusa 2“On an asteroid”ریوغو“.

Bennu is located more than 160 million kilometers from planet Earth, and it is a rocky mass that looks like a giant oak tree that formed in the early days of our solar system, and scientists say it may hold clues to the origins of life on Earth.

“Everything went exactly as it should … We overcame the amazing challenges of this asteroid and it seems that the spacecraft has worked flawlessly,” Dante Loretta, principal investigator for the Osiris Rex spacecraft from the University of Arizona in Tucson, told NASA.

The sample collection device attached to the arm is designed to release compressed gas to capture the rock sample.

Before taking the sample, NASA planetary scientist Lucy Lim said, “A lot could go wrong because the spacecraft is the size of a small truck, and the asteroid has a lot of rocks. So we have to go between the rocks to get our sample, and put a lot of planning on that.”

Asteroids are among the debris left over from the formation Solar System About 4.5 billion years ago.

Scientists believe that asteroids and comets that collided with Earth in early stages provided it with organic compounds and water needed for life on the planet, and atomic analysis of samples taken from the asteroid Bennu may provide important evidence to prove this hypothesis.

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