A seven-year space voyage came to its climactic end on Sunday when a Nasa capsule landed in the desert in the US state of Utah, carrying to Earth the largest asteroid samples ever collected. According to international media reports, scientists have high hopes for the sample, saying it will provide a better understanding of the formation of our solar system and how Earth became habitable. \u201cTouchdown of the Osiris-Rex sample return capsule!\u201d a commentator said on Nasa\u2019s live video webcast of the landing, as engineers and team members applauded at a nearby mission control centre. Completing a 3.86-billion-mile journey, it marked the United States\u00b4 first sample return mission of its kind, the US space agency said in a post on X, the former Twitter. Nasa chief Bill Nelson hailed the mission and said the asteroid dust \u201cwill give scientists an extraordinary glimpse into the beginnings of our solar system.\u201d The Osiris-Rex probe\u2019s final, fiery descent through Earth\u2019s atmosphere was perilous, but Nasa managed to engineer a soft landing at 8:52 am local time (1452 GMT), in the military\u2019s Utah Test and Training Range. Four years after its 2016 launch, the probe had landed on the asteroid Bennu and collected what Nasa estimated is roughly nine ounces of dust from its rocky surface. Even that small amount, Nasa says, should \u201chelp us better understand the types of asteroids that could threaten Earth.\u201d The sample return \u201cis really historic,\u201d Nasa scientist Amy Simon told reporters. \u201cThis is going to be the biggest sample we\u00b4ve brought back since the Apollo moon rocks\u201d were returned to Earth. Osiris-Rex released its capsule early on Sunday from an altitude of more than 67,000 miles. The fiery passage through the atmosphere came only in the last 13 minutes, as the capsule hurtled downward at a speed of more than 27,000 miles per hour, with temperatures of up to 5,000 Fahrenheit. Its rapid descent was supposed to be slowed by two successive parachutes as it made its way to the 37-mile by nine-mile landing zone. The main chute, however, deployed \u201cmuch higher than was originally anticipated,\u201d at about 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) rather than 5,000 feet, Nasa said. Nasa images showed the tire-sized capsule on the ground in a desert wash, with scientists approaching the device and taking readings. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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