Atom & Cosmos
NASA’s plans to sample an asteroid, good-bye to Spirit rover, Neptune’s spin and more in this week’s news
By Science News
NASA’s first asteroid sampler
The first U.S. spacecraft to scoop up samples of an asteroid and return them to Earth will be launched in 2016, NASA announced May 25. The craft, known as OSIRIS-REx, will reach the near-Earth asteroid 1999 RQ36 in 2020. After the craft studies the space rock — a
leftover
from the birth of the solar system — from a distance of 4.8 kilometers for six months, scientists will determine the best place to grab a sample. The craft will then move closer to the asteroid and extend a robotic arm to collect more than 57 grams of material. The craft is expected to return the sample to Earth in 2023