🚀 NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touched the surface of an asteroid Tuesday in a bid to collect a sample from the space rock that will one day be returned to Earth. axios.com/nasa-osiris-re…
🔎The big picture: Scientists hope the sample from the asteroid Bennu will allow them to learn more about the early days of the solar system and how it has evolved over billions of years, @mirikramer writes. axios.com/nasa-asteroid-… 
🤖 OSIRIS-REx — which arrived at Bennu in 2018 — was able to use its sampling arm to touch the surface of the asteroid.
The spacecraft needed to avoid large boulders and rocks on the way down to tag Bennu, further complicating the delicate work.
The spacecraft needed to avoid large boulders and rocks on the way down to tag Bennu, further complicating the delicate work.
❓ Yes, but: NASA doesn't yet know how much of a sample the spacecraft was able to collect. Mission managers will now need to perform a test to see how much extra weight is onboard the probe.
⚖️ Why it matters: Space agencies have returned samples of asteroids to Earth before, but if this maneuver is successful, it will be the most material ever fetched from an asteroid and brought back to our planet.
🌎 What's next: The sample is expected to arrive back on Earth in 2023.
📬 Sign up for @mirikramer's Axios Space newsletter, out every Tuesday link.axios.com/join/space-sig…
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