Asteroid samples escaping from jammed NASA spacecraft
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A NASA spacecraft is stuffed with so much asteroid rubble from this week’s grab that it’s jammed open and precious particles are drifting away in space, scientists said Friday. Scientists announced the news three days after the spacecraft named Osiris-Rex briefly touched asteroid Bennu 200 million miles away. A cloud of asteroid particles could be seen swirling around the spacecraft as it backed away from Bennu — at least one-half of an ounce at any one time. The requirement for Orisis-Rex — NASA's first asteroid sample return mission, totaling more than $800 million — was at least 2 ounces of samples for return.
Discover Related
Nasa's Osiris-Rex begins 2-year trip home with samples from asteroid Bennu
Asteroid samples from Hayabusa-2 leave Japan scientists speechless
NASA probe leaking asteroid samples due to jammed door
Asteroid Bennu samples spill back into space from jammed Nasa spacecraft OSIRIS-REx
NASA collected a sample from asteroid Bennu, but some of it is leaking into space