The Osiris-Rex spacecraft released the sample capsule from 63,000 miles out.
Nasa’s first asteroid samples taken from deep space have parachuted into the desert in the US state of Utah.
Some spilled and floated away when the spacecraft scooped up too much and rocks jammed the container’s lid during collection three years ago. Flight controllers for spacecraft builder Lockheed Martin stood and applauded at touchdown from their base in Colorado, ecstatic to have the precious samples on Earth. NASA camera views showed the charred capsule upside down on the sand with its parachute disconnected and strewn nearby, as the recovery team moved in.
Engineers estimate the canister holds 250 grams of material from Bennu, plus or minus 100 grams. Even at the low end, it will easily surpass the minimum requirement of the mission, Dr Lauretta said.Nasa plans a public show-and-tell in October.Currently orbiting the sun 50 million miles from Earth, Bennu is about one-third of a mile across, roughly the size of the Empire State Building but shaped like a spinning top. It is believed to be the broken fragment of a much larger asteroid.
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