NASA’s “OSIRIS-REx Mission”

Why in news? NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission will depart from asteroid Bennu and start its two-year-long journey back to Earth. OSIRIS-REx Mission: OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer. The mission was launched in 2016. It was the first U.S. mission to successfully collect a sample from an asteroid. Aim: To travel to a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu and bring a small sample back to Earth for study. Asteroid Bennu: Asteroid Bennu is named after an Egyptian deity. It is as tall as the Empire State Building. It is located about 200 million miles away from the Earth. The asteroid....Read More