NASA's OSIRIS-REx, the first US mission to return asteroid samples, is set to return to Earth later this month.
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Significance
The mission is said to have collected 250g of samples from asteroid Bennu, which could reveal vital information about the origins of life and hazardous asteroids.
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Capsule recovery
On September 24, OSIRIS-REx's sample return capsule will separate from the main spacecraft and make a parachute-guided landing in Utah.
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Preparations
NASA is in the final stages of preparing for the mission's return. The space agency recently completed a successful drop test of a mock OSIRIS-REx sample capsule at the landing site.
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Analysis
Once retrieved, the samples will be sent to multiple labs for analysis. Around 200 scientists from across the world will be involved in the investigations.
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Preservation
About 70% of the returned asteroid specimens will be preserved by NASA for future studies.