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OSIRIS-REx spacecraft firing thrusters after releasing sample, illustration
Illustration showing the OSIRIS-REx (Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification and Security-egolith Explorer) The spacecraft firing its thrusters to avoid collision with Earth after releasing a sample canister (circle silhouetted against Earth) with material from the near-Earth asteroid, Bennu. The OSIRIS-REx mission was launched on 8th September 2016, and dropped this capsule on 24th September 2023. It is hoped that the sample, which contains water and carbon thought to date to the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago, will give insight into the early solar system and the origins of life on Earth. by NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
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